Tim Kaine starts off with a 2 minute opening statement.
Kaine has a bad case of pillowhead….and a bad looking tie. Is he going for the wuss vote?
Kaine touts how he cut spending. He’s actually touting his record on cutting taxes – not bringing up his failed efforts to raise taxes that his own Party disavowed.
Allen thanks the WWII veterans “who liberated my mother”
Allen attacks Kaine, links him with Obama and higher taxes.
First question on Uranium mining:
Kaine – says it’s too early to tell whether its a good idea to lift the ban. He then attacks Allen about support for alternative energy, saying he looks “through oil-colored glasses.”
Allen – Says he agrees with Kaine on uranium mining. Then linked Kaine with Obama on shutting down oil exploration here while applauding drilling in other countries.
Second question on a flat tax:
Allen – Proposes “freedom to choose” tax code. Choose a flat tax or file under the old system. Also reduces corporate tax from 35% to 20%. Bob Lewis asks repeated followups on Bush Tax Cuts and mortgage deductions. Bob? It’s not about you.
Kaine – Talks about subsidies for oil companies. Yay, Timmy! That has so much to do with whether I have a flat tax. Then he attacks the Bush tax cuts and accuses Allen of destroying Medicare and education.
Press asks if Macaca should still be an issue?
Kaine – Kaine’s campaign said yes yesterday, but he’s BIG TIME backtracking here. Kaine is looking horrible here trying to criticize Allen on macaca while saying he won’t make it an issue.
Allen – Says he apologized and is for equal opportunity. He then tells stories of economic troubles due to the economy and energy policies – what the campaign is about.
Question about Mark Warner’s Gang of Six plan
Allen – Says we need to rein in federal spending and the national debt under Obama is too high. Allen wants a pro-growth blueprint to solve problems, including energy policy, without raising taxes. Grow the economy, not taxes. Reminds voters Kaine tried to raise taxes repeatedly.
Kaine – Says Allen wouldn’t work with Mark Warner – SHOCK!!!! That’s your big attack, Timmy?
Candidates question each other now!
Kaine asks why Allen voted to raise his salary as Senator
Allen – As Governor, Allen reduced his salary. Senate salaries are tied to federal employee salaries. Allen says he favors a paycheck penalty if budgets don’t get passed on time. Admits spending was a problem when he was in the Senate, but we need a balanced budget amendment and line item veto.
Kaine – Says George says one thing and does another. Voted for wars, medicare and tax cuts without paying for them.
Allen asks Kaine why he spent his last year as Governor taking the most partisan political job in America – DNC Chairman
Kaine – “To serve the President”
Allen – You’ve been advocating for every significant initiative Obama has brought forward. You may consider closing rest stops “good management”
BOY, the rules just got thrown out, as Kaine defended the Obama record more passionately than he ever defended his own record, leading to a big back-and-forth with Allen, who sided with Virginians. My friends, THAT’S the video from this campaign!
On the issue of foreign aid, Allen thinks it will need to be reduced and makes very pro-Israel comments.
Kaine says foreign aid should be conditioned on human rights.
Bob Lewis asks Kaine about his tax-increasing special sessions that failed, even though an audit of VOT found a billion dollars. Why didn’t you look there?
Kaine – Says the consensus is for new revenue for transportation. Huh? Consensus? Your own party voted against your bill! Kaine says that audit didn’t find the money it said it did.
Follow up – why didn’t you do the audit first.
Kaine – we did. we looked. we “did a good job of management”
Allen – says he kept his promises as Governor. Low taxes creates revenue and jobs. When Tim was Governor, the people of Virginia lost 100,000 jobs, unemployment doubled.
Ryan Nobles asks if he’ll call on third party groups to stay out of advertising in this race unless they disclose their donors.
Allen – Supports full disclosure. He won’t tell people they can’t have freedom of speech, but he would hope they are based on factual, accurate data or evidence.
Kaine – Says the Citizens United decision was a disaster. Agrees with Allen in liking the Virginia system.
Bob Lewis asks Kaine about transferring a prisoner to Germany before leaving office, which McDonnell rescinded. Why did you authorize that and do it at the last minute as Governor?
Kaine – Proud of his record fighting crime. He said “good riddance” in sending him to Germany to stay in prison there, even though his life sentence could be shortened there to as little as two additional years.
Allen – a fundamental difference here. Allen abolished liberal, lenient parole for violent criminals. When people are sentenced, they should serve that sentence. I’m sure tons of criminals would say “just send me to another country and I won’t come back. Just let me out of prison”
Allen asks Kaine about Obama’s stimulus plan and Kaine’s statement that it would “jumpstart the economy”
Kaine – Allen’s at fault for the economy, not Obama. Kaine must think Obama’s winning Virginia next year
Allen – shows graph of the last three years of deficit spending, dwarfing anything during Allen’s Senate tenure.
Kaine asks Allen about debt ceiling. Says Allen always voted for it, but was against it this year. Why were McDonnell and Cantor wrong?
Allen – Supercommittee was a failure to handle Washington spending. They haven’t done anything regarding reform.
Kaine – Defended debt ceiling vote. Kaine is really carrying water for other people here. That is going to hurt him.
Allen – “McDonnell and Cantor have endorsed me, and I think we’ll work together just fine”
Should Virginia legislate that life begins at conception.
Kaine – No, because that would “criminalize contraception” What?
Allen – says Kaine’s wrong, that life beginning at conception doesn’t have anything to do with contraception, which prevents conception. Calls him Chairman Kaine.
Bob Lewis brings up Tea Party supporters list that people said they didn’t agree to join.
Allen – that was one person, and it was a mistake. Has tons of people joining the A-Team. Pounds Kaine on cap and trade impact on the coal industry.
Lewis asks Allen “How do you think birth control pills and IUD’s work?”
Allen says he was relying on Latin on the meaning of the word contraception, but he’s not a Doctor.
Kaine – Says again that defining life as beginning at conception would “criminalize contraceptive pills”. Then he appeals to the Tea Party to support his cutting of spending record to Allen’s record in the Senate.
How would you vote on repealing Obamacare
Kaine- Would vote no – no kidding
Allen – Obamacare is hurting jobs, especially small businesses.
That’s the end of the debate. I was really taken aback by Kaine’s unabashed defense of Obama. At first glance, it seemed to me like he was more interested in campaigning for Obama in Virginia than campaigning to Virginians for a Senate seat.
Would Kaine really use this campaign as a tool to be an Obama foot soldier?
