We Won't Get 'Kained' Again
by: The Grey Havens
Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 11:42:21 AM EDT
Three years into the Kaine Administration, Virginia Progressives stand aghast at what it has become. From his repeal of the estate tax to his abandoned plan for universal Pre-K, to his opposition to embryonic stem cells, from his failed transportation plans to cozy relationship to Dominion Power and his reprehensible support of the Wise Coal Plant, the Kaine administration has fulfilled our every early fear and never failed to disappoint progressive Virginia.
In order to become the powerful and vital leading force for Democratic politics in the 21st century, the backbone of an enduring Democratic majority, Progressivism needs leaders who are regularly willing to take a critical, principled stand. This is why the RK community never fails to denounce the failed positions of even our most dogged champions.
The Grey Havens :: We Won't Get 'Kained' Again
When Barack Obama or even our beloved Jim Webb failed us on warrantless wiretapping, we called them out. When Jim Webb and Mark Warner make spurious assertions that offshore drilling is some kind of solution to our energy crisis, we attack the positions, not the leaders.
Mark Warner is the very model of what will become known as Fiscal Progressivism, the pragmatic, cross-partisan application of intelligent, responsible management. Jim Webb, in addition to being the Democrats' most powerful voice on military and veterans' affairs, is the senate's greatest champion of economic fairness: the Democratic assertion that a nation must value the health of its economy not at the apex, but at the base. And Barack Obama is rapidly rising as the personification of an organized, bottom-up progressivism that engages regular citizens to participate in the solutions to the greatest challenges facing the world. From climate change to economic collapse, from war to healthcare to genocide, Obama leads not by authoritarianism, but by an egalitarian, progressive inclusion that unleashes the best talents of all Americans in a common cause for the Common Good.
In light of these shining examples, where is Tim Kaine? In what way has Tim Kaine embodied progressive ideals? In what way has Tim Kaine lead or stood up for the critical issues of the day? Where has Tim Kaine emerged victorious and thus strengthened the Progressive movement, the Democratic party, and the Commonwealth? Long on plans and short on accomplishments, Kaine has consistently proven that he will not stand up for principle and will not listen to reason. When Kaine eviscerates progressive taxation, champions a massive new coal plant, or works against the commonsense underground solution to the Rail to Dulles project, he isn't just throwing the baby out with the bathwater, he's lingering by the window to set fire to the drapes.
Thus, this community and progressives everywhere must remain ever vigilant and never shirk the responsibility of demanding positive, pragmatic, progressive solutions to the daunting problems we face at the national and local level. We stand up for those leaders who embody the principles of responsible government, universal opportunity and leadership by example, but we never fail to question an office-holder who abandons the critical task of forging a brighter future.
In years to come, we will question the likes of Obama, Warner, and Webb on issues, but because they embody the best that Progressivism has to offer, we will always herald their leadership. But we must look at politicians like Tim Kaine only with deep regret; regret for what could have been if they had not cravenly failed to lead.
As essayist Frank Kilgore (no relation to Jerry) writes today:
Kaine could serve as a lesson for progressives to call out Obama early and often through liberal media and blog sources, to prevent their candidate from being "Kained" by corporate America and hemmed in by what they believe to be an uninspired political middle.
In sum, we won't, can't, get Kained again.
So this is the editorial at the Main Virginia Progressive Website, aka the website that was born to help Tim Kaine get the governorship...
http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=15132