The Koch brothers financed Americans for Prosperity, a
libertarian foundation, released a new Television ad targeting U.S. Senate
candidate Tim Kaine of Virginia.[1]
The 32 second ad attempts to paint Tim Kaine as a “deficit spender” and a tax
hiking paragon in typical sound-bite fashion.
Aside from the usual rhetorical flourishes, a quick look at
Americans for Prosperity’s official website demonstrates the group’s focus on
reducing the size of government and lowering taxes.[2]
According to AFP’s Virginia director, Audrey Jackson, Tim
Kaine “can’t spend your way to prosperity or tax your way to economic freedom.”
As usual, no evidence was given to substantiate these bogus claims.
As is often the case, however, what conservatives and
economic libertarians take as gross spending of taxpayer money is the soundest
way to stimulate our nation’s economy so that more American’s can experience
economic freedom.[3] In
other words, “short-term stimulus with long-term discipline.”
Tim Kaine has always been a proponent of fiscal discipline[4],
which is why Virginia retained its triple A bond rating under Tim Kaine’s tenure
as Lt. Governor and Governor of Virginia[5].
But as Tim Kaine acknowledged, cutting your way out of a
fiscal challenge is a recipe for further disaster, a recipe that economic
libertarians and conservatives seem all to ready to cook up.[6]
Kaine noted that “The all cut approach is a weakening approach, not a
strengthening approach.”
Because we as individuals tend to see those political candidates
who we PERCEIVE to share our own policy views with rose-tinted glasses, we tend
not to see the sound policy positions of those political figures who we do not
identify with. For all of the criticism Tim Kaine has received about his
economic policies, this is one area in particular that Tim Kaine can hardly be
assailed on.
Instead of questioning Tim Kaine’s economic history, let’s
continue to question the motivations of the Koch brothers and their plethora of
well-funded “foundations,” think-tanks, Super PACs, and the list goes on. What would
an America look like as the Koch brothers envision it? Yes, I shudder at the
thought too!
No comments:
Post a Comment