You Workith, Lord Kaine Taketh Away

If you didn’t get a chance to see it, the Washington Post had a piece on Governor Kaine’s bizarre belief that his Transportation “Plan” is somehow a win-win…

He’s betting that in the middle of a difficult political environment, enough Republicans will cave and raise taxes which gives him a victory or conversely that Republicans refusing to raise taxes in an even more difficult economy will be tarred and feathered as “obstructionists” in the ‘09 elections.

It’s too bad for the Governor that those elections are so far away.  A lot can change between now and then.

Some points that I think are worth making in this debate:

1) First on taxes. Once a tax is raised, you can forget about getting the money back.  Take the sales tax for example.  Virginia last raised sales taxes 1.2 cents to 4.5% in 1986 to pay for a $12 billion transportation construction program pushed by Democrat Governor Baliles.  That program was supposed to last 12 years.  Now you’d think that after 12 years have elapsed, we the taxpayers would get that money back, right?  Nope.  Over 20 years later, we’re still paying that increase and what does Lord Kaine want to do?  Raise taxes again.  If passed, I’m sure we won’t get the money back and 20 years from now, some Democrat Governor will want another tax increase. 

2) Second on the Founding.  It is easy to overlook that this country was founded on deep rooted opposition to taxation.  Anyone recall the Stamp Act?  How about the Tea Act, the Townshend Act, the Sugar Act, etc.?  All of these taxes chipped away at early Americans’ economic liberty and led to the Revolution.  It is foolish for anyone to underestimate the American public’s revulsion of new taxation.

3) Third on time and strategy.  A lot will depend on this fall’s elections and the direction the new President takes in his first 6 months.  While McCain is currently 3-4 points behind Obama in the national polls, the winner will be decided by the electoral college.  Make no mistake that the country is still pretty evenly split and as more dirt comes out about Obama, his negatives will continue to rise.  If McCain is elected and keeps his promise to veto all new pork barrel spending legislation, Republicans could see the benefits of a new era of spending awareness and not pay the price Gov. Kaine is hoping for in ‘09.  Conversely if Obama wins, adds the enormous healthcare entitlement he has advertised, and rolls back the Bush tax cuts, Republicans will have ample opportunity to reinvigorate the old “tax and spend liberal” label to electoral advantage.

So to Lord Kaine, I pose this question: what makes you so sure it’s a “win-win?”