11.10.2005 | Talk is cheap

Tim Kaine will be our next governor, and I blame Jerry Kilgore for running a dumb campaign. Kilgore pasted the unholy "L" for liberal label on Kaine. He was correct in so doing. Kaine however, was clever enough to hide his true beliefs behind a facade of his Catholic faith. It is also likely that the tanking popularity of George Bush, and the ego-trip campaign of Russ Potts sealed the deal (since Potts, a Republican, almost certainly drained votes selectively from Kilgore).

Tim Kaine told us that he comes by his positions against the death penalty and (or so he claims) against abortion via the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. This kind of talk does appeal to us Virginians, at least those of us who are believers in more than the unholy government. I suggest that for Kaine, it's just talk.

In this regard, Tim Kaine is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He tells us that his Catholic faith leads him to be against both abortion and the death penalty. But that he will faithfully execute (pun intended) Virginia's laws on both. What this says to me is that human life is less important to him than his need to be elected, since a large majority of Virginians favor the death penalty, and a large majority of Democrats appear to favor abortion on demand.

So Kaine got the best of both worlds: significant inroads to Virginia independents who have faith and who support the death penalty, without losing the pro-abortion Democratic base (which can be heard bleating, "capital punishment bad, 'a woman's right to choose' good").

Now, why do I call Kaine a wolf in sheep's clothing? Consider the position on abortion found on his website:

I have a faith-based opposition to abortion. As governor, I will work in good faith to reduce abortions by:

Enforcing the current Virginia restrictions on abortion and passing an enforceable ban on partial birth abortion that protects the life and health of the mother;
Fighting teen pregnancy through abstinence-focused education;
Ensuring women's access to health care (including legal contraception) and economic opportunity; and
Promoting adoption as an alternative for women facing unwanted pregnancies.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Except, perhaps, for that vague "Ensuring women's access to health care", which sounds an awful lot like access to abortion clinics.

Far worse is that he has also said that he would be an "advocate" for retaining "abortion rights" in Virginia. Even if Roe v. Wade were somehow eliminated, leaving the decision on abortion to the states.

As governor, Tim Kaine could use his executive power to stop all executions. The fact that he likely will not do so means that his faith means less than a political promise. As governor, Tim Kaine could also introduce bills in the General Assembly to make access to abortion far more restrictive than it is, and requiring abstinence education as part of sex ed. Don't hold your breath on this.

Time will tell, and I hope and pray that Tim Kaine will do the right thing as governor. And not necessarily what his Democratic base might have expected him to do on abortion.

| technorati tag | Christianity|