It’s been nearly two weeks since the State Supreme Court wiped out the unconstitutional taxes imposed by HB 3202. The legislature has been engulfed by a cacophony of voices on how to “fix transportation.” Sadly, my ideas have yet to inspire a good pair of legislative lungs.
For the most part, far too many Republicans are willing to force local government to raise their taxes (what Jim Bowden dubbed “the son of Frankenstein” in a phone call with me last week), while the Democrats are pushing a combination of onerous sate taxes aand onerous local taxes. Bob Marshall, of course, is determined to stop any tax increase from replacing the ones he just sued to erase.
However, there is one voice whose silence on this matter has been deafening – Jim Gilmore.
Throughout the entire debate on HB3202, Gilmore said not a word. I can actually understand why – he was running for president at the time. Now, however, as a Virginia GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate, he has no excuse.
To the extent that the Establishment GOP backs anyone in this race, it backs Gilmore. If he were to tell Bill Howell et al to cut this nonsense out, there is a good chance we can get through this summer without any tax increases. At the very least, Gilmore could reveal that he still has his ear closer to the ground than the power brokers in Richmond. Yet he says nothing. Why?
I don’t want to hear about the car tax reduction. I credit him for that, but it was ten years ago. We are in the midst of a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican party right now, and Gilmore is repeating Jerry Kilgore’s mistake of sitting on the sidelines and hoping it all goes away.
This is a terrible message to send to both the party activists and the millions of Virginians who have emphatically demanded that taxes not be raised. After all, if Jim Gilmore remains silent for fear of alienating Bill Howell, Bob McDonnell, and other Richmond Republicans, how will he fare against the “Old Bulls” in the Senate when it comes time to stand on principle? How can we be certain he will be a conservative Virginian first and a Republican politician second in 2009 when he won’t even do it in 2008?
The way I see it, Gilmore has three choices. He can throw in with his new-found Establishment buddies and make it clear he is no longer the anti-tax man he was; he can remain silent and reveal that he has lost the courage of his convictions; or he can take a chance, stand on principle, and endear himself to millions of Virginians inside and outside the Republican Party.
Until and unless Gilmore takes that final option, the reality is this: only one Senate candidate is standing up for Virginians against higher taxes today – and that man is Bob Marshall.
Cross-posted to Bloggers 4 Bob Marshall
March 12, 2008 at 2:36 pm |
“[...] (what Jim Bowden dubbed “the son of Frankenstein” in a phone call with me last week) [...]”
Ironically, Bowden is supporting Jim Gilmore.
March 12, 2008 at 2:43 pm |
Sad but true.
March 13, 2008 at 7:22 pm |
Interesting. Gov. Gilmore has lost his principles you suppose. He is now an ‘estabishment guy’?
Exactly how many nano seconds elapsed from your switch from Rep. Duncan Hunter to Sen. John McCain? Can we be sure that you haven’t abandoned your Conserative Principles?
I heard and met Del. Bob Marshall for the first time at the Waynesboro Mass Meeting this past Tuesday. It seems Del. Marshall has no position at all on drilling for oil in ANWAR. He himmed and haawed about the risk of terrorists attacking oil supplies from far aflung provinces of the UNITED STATES, such as Alaska.
He mentioned his 2000 book library, which apparently was devoid of any mention or knowledge of the…. what is that Alaska Pipeline? Have the terrorist attacked the Alaska Pipeline. Maybe he was in favor of closing it, since it was vulnerable to terrorist attack.
He also favored moving the 35,000 troops we have stationed in Germany to our southern border to guard against the terrorists slipping into the US there. It slipped my mind to ask him if maybe a couple battalions of tanks, and attack helicopters should be shifted to Alaska to guard the piple line there. Maybe you could get on the hot line and ask him about it?
As far as Transportation goes in VA, Gov. Gilmore’s record is solid in providing so many transportation dollars from our surplus tax revenues and other funding mechanisms, that Gov. Warner, who did nothing for transportation, probably felt he didn’t have too. Gov. Gilmore made it a priority and got the funding where it was needed.
BTW, he worked successfully with DC, MD and the Federal Govt. to fund the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-95 over the Potomac), with out raising taxes, as part of his transportation record.
March 13, 2008 at 8:43 pm |
Sorry, STD, but harking back to Gilmore’s record as Governor won’t cut. A whole bunch of Republicans who had good records as of 2002 have made terrible decisions since then. Until Gilmore speaks on this, neither you nor I know what he thinks.
No attempt to divert the subject with ANWAR (Marshall prefers nuclear power), or my decision to support John McCain (which I reached more than a week after Duncan Hunter withdrew) can change that.
Oh, and you do know the Alaska pipeline goes through a foreign country, right? Not to say ANWR drilling is wrong (I support it), but Canada is not the United States.
March 16, 2008 at 11:01 am |
Ahem, allow me to correct myself; the Alaska pipeline does not go through Canada. Mea culpa.