Kaine Doubles Down On Job-Killing Tax Hikes As Obama Approval Plummets
Even as many of his fellow Washington Democrats refuse to toe the line for President Barack Obama’s proposal for hundreds of billions of dollars in new government spending, to be paid for with job-killing tax hikes, former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine is doubling down on his support for Obama’s job-killing tax hikes.
Last week, Kaine traveled to Richmond to lend his full support for Obama’s plan, applauding what he calls its “strong, bipartisan solutions designed to spur hiring and job growth.” But it’s clear today that the only thing bipartisan about Obama’s plan is the growing bipartisan opposition to its reckless spending and job-killing tax hikes – which Kaine’s fellow Democrat, Jim Webb, succinctly labeled yesterday as “terrible.”
The Washington Post reported last night that, caught flat-footed, “Kaine’s campaign declined to comment on Webb’s remarks,” but later rushed to issue a statement making clear that the former DNC Chairman is “generally in favor of the president’s approach” of paying for new reckless spending with job-killing tax hikes. Perhaps he realized no one would believe he was opposed, given his long history of supporting higher taxes on Virginians, or perhaps he was afraid to speak out against his (former?) boss Barack Obama…
Meanwhile, more bad news for Kaine as a new Quinnipiac survey released this morning shows that “voters in Virginia, a key state in President Obama’s 2008 winning coalition, disapprove 54 – 40 percent of the job he is doing, down from a 48 – 48 percent split in a June 30 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. Obama does not deserve four more years, voters say 51 – 41 percent… Obama’s job approval is plummeting among independent voters, who disapprove 62 – 29 percent, compared to a 54 – 41 percent disapproval June 30.”
In view of Kaine’s continued blind allegiance to President Obama’s unpopular agenda – including his decision to double down on his support for Obama’s job-killing tax hikes – the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) today released a new web video, titled “Kaine & Obama: Close Friends, Far From The Virginia Mainstream.”
Click The Screenshot Below To View The NRSC’s New Web Video
“Again and again, Tim Kaine has sided against Virginians’ best interests, and in favor of job-killing tax hikes and crushing debt to pay for President Obama and the Democrats’ reckless government spending,” said NRSC Press Secretary Chris Bond. “Kaine and Obama are clearly outside the Virginia mainstream when it comes to their job-killing tax hikes and reckless spending, and that’s why a growing majority of Virginians are rejecting their liberal Washington agenda.”
Kaine’s outside-the-mainstream position is just the latest chapter in the former DNC Chairman’s long history of supporting job-killing tax hikes to pay for reckless government spending: as Obama’s DNC Chairman and Senate candidate, Kaine fully embraced ObamaCare’s $570 billion in tax hikes. And as Governor, Kaine twice attempted to slam Virginians with multi-billion-dollar transportation tax hikes – also proposing the largest tax increase in Virginia history in the waning days of his administration.
Background Information:
Senate Dems Voice Their Opposition To Kaine & Obama’s Job-Killing Tax Hikes:
SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): ‘Terrible.’ ‘We shouldn’t increase taxes on ordinary income.’ “‘Terrible,’ Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told POLITICO when asked about the president’s ideas for how to pay for the $450 billion price tag. ‘We shouldn’t increase taxes on ordinary income. … There are other ways to get there.’” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
“Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, said the caucus isn’t yet united behind all of Obama’s proposals to cover the bill’s $447 billion cost.” (“Obama Plan To Tax Health Benefits Stirs Democratic Opposition,” Bloomberg, 9/14/11)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do yet with the president’s jobs bill.” “‘I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do yet with the president’s jobs bill, but we’re going to have a full caucus meeting on it on Thurs,’ Reid told reporters, saying merely that he had introduced the bill Tuesday. A number of Democrats have previously opposed some of the ideas in the bill.” (“Reid Not Sure if Obama’s Jobs Bill Can Pass,” Fox News, 9/13/11)
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): ‘Frustrating … There’s an unfairness to it.’ “Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, from the oil-rich state of Alaska, said it was ‘frustrating’ to see the president single out the oil industry after calling on the congressional supercommittee in last week’s address to Congress to find savings. ‘When you start singling out certain industries, there’s an unfairness to it,’ he said in an interview. ‘On the pay-fors, I have a problem.’” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): ‘That offset is not going to fly.’ “‘That offset is not going to fly, and he should know that,’ said Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu from the energy-producing Louisiana, referring to Obama’s elimination of oil and gas subsidies. ‘Maybe it’s just for his election, which I hope isn’t the case.’” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): “I have serious questions about the level of spending that President Obama has proposed, as well as the actual effectiveness some of these policies will have when it comes to creating jobs…” (“Manchin’s Strategy For Surviving 2012 In A Red State: Bash President Obama,” The Hill, 9/14/11)
SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-MD): “I disagree with the president.” “Senator Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat whose state includes some of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., said she didn’t support the health-care tax. ‘I disagree with the president,’ she said.” (“Obama Plan To Tax Health Benefits Stirs Democratic Opposition,” Bloomberg, 9/14/11)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA): “I don’t think anybody expects it to pass en bloc.” “‘I don’t think anybody expects it to pass en bloc,’ Kerry told reporters Tuesday afternoon after the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon. ‘So, the issue is going to be what, if any, parts of it might be cherry-picked. And really that depends a lot on the overall mix of the negotiation.’” (“Obama Jobs Proposal Won’t Pass In One Piece, Kerry Says,” Washington Post, 9/13/11)
SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “I’ve made it clear I’m looking for [tax] cuts, so I’m very hopeful there will be cuts.” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. TOM CARPER (D-DE): “I think the best jobs bill that can be passed is a comprehensive long-term deficit-reduction plan… That’s better than everything else the president is talking about — combined.” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
Tim Kaine’s Long Record Of Supporting Job-Killing Tax Hikes:
“Virginia’s Hated Local Car Tax Would Be Replaced With A $2 Billion-A-Year Income Tax Increase Under The New Budget Gov. Timothy M. Kaine Presented Friday.” (Bob Lewis and Dena Potter, “Va. Gov: End Car Tax, Raise Income Tax 1 Percent,” The Associated Press, 12/18/09)
- The Income Tax Change Would Have Resulted In A Tax Rate Hike For 60 Percent Of Taxpayers. “The increase would mean a hike in the income tax rate from 5.75 percent to 6.75 percent for those earning more than $17,000, 60 percent of taxpayers.” (Anita Kumar and Rosalind S. Helderman, “Virginia Governor Proposes An Income Tax Increase,” The Washington Post, 12/19/09)
“Kaine Tried Twice To Raise Taxes For Highways — In 2006 And Again In 2007 — But Was Thwarted By General Assembly Republicans.” (Jeff E. Schapiro, Op-Ed, “Schapiro: For Kaine, The Problem — And Promise? — Of Obama,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4/6/11)
2006: “Gov. Tim Kaine Will Seek Higher Taxes On Vehicle Purchases And Automobile Insurance Premiums And Steep Fines For Driving Violations To Generate Revenue For A Transportation Funding Package That Would Produce $3.7 Billion In Its First Four Years And Provide A Sustained Source Of Money For Road And Transit Projects.” (Michael Sluss, “Kaine Unveils Road Map,” The Roanoke Times, 1/21/06)
2007: “Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) Proposed Raising State Taxes And Fees Yesterday By Almost $1 Billion A Year For Transportation, Once Again Plunging His Administration Into The Bitter Debate That Nearly Caused A Government Shutdown Last Year.” (Michael D. Shear, “Kaine Again Floats Tax Hike For Traffic Ills,” The Washington Post, 1/5/07)
