Democrat Virginia Senator On Obama-Kaine Tax Hikes: “Terrible”
Just days ago, former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine traveled to Richmond to lend President Barack Obama his full support for yet another round of costly “stimulus” spending, to be paid for with nearly $470 billion in new job-killing tax hikes.
But while Kaine continues to applaud his boss’s job-killing tax hikes as “strong, bipartisan solutions designed to spur hiring and job growth,” his fellow Democrat and current Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) called the Obama-Kaine proposal “terrible.”
As Politico reports – also picked up by the Virginian-Pilot:
As he demands Congress quickly approve his ambitious proposal aimed at reviving the sagging economy, many Democrats on Capitol Hill appear far from sold that the president has the right anecdote to spur major job growth and turn around their party’s political fortunes. “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.” “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.”
The Washington Times noted yesterday that “the tax increases Mr. Obama proposed Monday instead have faced bipartisan opposition and have been rejected by Congress even when it was controlled by Mr. Obama’s own party.”
In continuing to blindly support Obama’s job-killing tax hikes, former Chairman Kaine stands outside not only the Virginia mainstream, but far to the left of a long and growing list of Senate Democrats (see below).
This is not surprising, because Tim Kaine is a long-time supporter of using 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. As Governor, Kaine twice attempted to slam Virginians with multi-billion-dollar transportation tax hikes – and proposed the largest tax increase in Virginia history in the waning days of his administration.
“If there’s one thing Virginians know about Tim Kaine, it’s that he has a long history of proposing massive job-killing tax hikes to pay for reckless government spending,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond. “When even his fellow Democrat Jim Webb calls his job-killing tax hikes ‘terrible,’ it’s a safe bet that Kaine is once again on the wrong side of a critical issue for Virginians.”
Background
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)
