Virginia’s far-left Senator Tim Kaine, who was once known as a ‘centrist,’ is making headlines as he touts the Democrats’ endless Russia probe as a ‘treason investigation.’ Recently emboldened by news of a June 2016 meeting between a Russian lawyer and Donald Trump Jr., Hillary Clinton’s former running mate, obviously scorned by the results of the 2016 Presidential Election, appears to have single-handedly determined that not only is the United States in a state of war with Russia, but that Donald Trump Jr. has become eligible for the death penalty. Unfortunately for Virginians, Kaine’s latest stunt on Capitol Hill isn’t surprising, as the Senator has a history of heavily toeing his party’s line, and wasting taxpayer money.
Before joining the United States Senate, Kaine served in a variety of political positions in Virginia, beginning as a member of the Richmond City Council, and eventually becoming the Mayor of Richmond. As Mayor, Kaine wasted no time in using taxpayer dollars to further his personal political stances. In 2000, then-Mayor Kaine came under fire after spending over $6,000 in public funds furnishing buses to provide transportation to the ‘Million Mom March’ in Washington, an anti-gun event which has been accused of using erroneous gun violence statistics.
Following his term as Mayor of Richmond, in 2002, Kaine began serving as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia under Governor Mark Warner, positioning himself for a future run for the Governor’s Mansion. Upon winning the 2005 Gubernatorial Election, Kaine proposed massive tax increases on Virginians of all walks of life. In fact, Kaine’s proposed income tax hike would have impacted families making as little as $17,000 per year, increasing taxes in Virginia’s lowest tax bracket from 5.75% to 6.75%. Fortunately, much of Kaine’s agenda was stopped in its tracks by Republicans in Virginia’s Legislature, forcing Tax Hike Tim to sign off on reasonable legislation that allowed Virginia’s poorest families to continue putting food on the table.
Since his election to the United States Senate in 2012, Kaine has only continued to push his left-wing agenda, voting in favor of, and sponsoring gun-control legislation, and of course, more tax hikes. In recent months, Kaine has become an embarrassment for Virginia, and his latest stunt re-enforces the notion that proper representation of Virginians and the interests of our Commonwealth is nowhere to be found on his to-do list. Although we narrowly avoided seeing Kaine as Vice President, he has nearly two years to go in the Senate, and the running of another weak Republican candidate would ensure at least another six years on Capitol Hill for a man farther to the left than any Senator in Virginia’s history. Kaine’s most recent statements and behavior, his past misconduct and political stances should be enough to mobilize an army of Virginians opposed to his re-election in 2018. Virginia deserves better than Tim Kaine!
