Tim Kaine’s Pay Cut Gimmick
Former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine fired off a new ad this week where he tried to tell the camera that he was awesome as Governor. No, seriously. Here’s the ad with a bit of history added thanks to the good people over at Virginia Right:
Notice the part where Tim Kaine modestly tries to remind us that he sacrificed his very own pay for the sake of the budget? Does anyone else smell baloney?
This week, Tim Kaine is appearing in a TV ad once again bragging about how he set an example by cutting his own pay as Governor. But, it’s years late and dollars short of other Virginia Governor salary cuts.
George Allen kept his promise to taxpayers by cutting his pay by 10 percent all four years as Governor. In fact, Mark Warner, whom Tim Kaine salutes for his “outstanding leadership” as Governor, cut his pay by 20 percent. But Tim Kaine? He effectively gave himself a pay raise on the backs of Virginia taxpayers by taking more money than his predecessor and waiting until the end of his second year in office to cut his pay – and then by only 5 percent.
“As a small business owner, I know that my pay is first on the line when times get tough for my business,” said State Senator Bryce Reeves. “Tim Kaine thinks ‘leading by example’ is running out the clock and then giving up only five pennies to the dollar. Tim Kaine may pat himself on the back in his new TV ad, but Virginians would rather turn the channel. George Allen is the only candidate in this race who delivered on his promise to Virginians by cutting his own pay by 10 percent all four years as Governor. In November, Virginians won’t give Tim Kaine a gold star for being years late and dollars short on his own pay cuts while over 100,000 jobs were lost under his watch.”
Oh, and remember how Tim Kaine spent his last year as part time Governor thanks to all of his work as DNC Chairman? Of course he should have had his pay cut!
Facts are tricky things with Tim Kaine. If he can’t make them up he just tries to run from them.
Tim Kaine Announced He Was Cutting His Salary By Only 5% In October 2007, Approaching The End Of The Second Year Of His Four-Year Term. October 2007: “Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is taking a 5 percent pay cut.” (Pamela Stallsmith and Jeff E. Schapiro, “Governor’s Plan Includes 74 Layoffs,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10/2/07)
Kaine’s Predecessor, Mark Warner, Cut His Salary By 20%. “Gov. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Mark Warner also cut their salaries by 5 percent and 20 percent, respectively.” (Newsplex.com, 1/5/2010)
Allen Wrote A Check To The State Treasurer In Order To Fulfill His Promise To Cut His Salary By Ten Percent. “That was the amount of the check that Allen wrote from his personal account to the treasurer of Virginia, the first installment of a promise to reduce his $ 110,000 annual salary by 10 percent.” (John F. Harris, “Allen Signs Check To Cut His Salary,” The Washington Post, 2/2/94)
C’mon, Timmy. Cutting your pay 5% while pushing for $4 billion in tax hikes is nothing to brag about.
One Response to “Tim Kaine’s Pay Cut Gimmick”
[...] his last year in office, effectively becoming a part-time Executive for Virginia. Virginia Virtucon posts the facts from the Republican Party of Virginia: George Allen kept his promise to taxpayers by cutting his [...]
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