U.S. Senate candidate Kaine calls on Allen to return controversial contribution by Friess

On Monday, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine called on George Allen to request Independence Virginia return a $10,000 donation from Foster Friess, the controversial businessman from Wyoming that has made a number of highly insensitive comments in the past.

In an interview on MSNBC earlier in 2012, Friess commented that “back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.”[1] A true romantic, to be sure.

In his publicly released statement on Monday, Tim Kaine stated, “Mr. Friess has spoken on the need for ‘more intolerance.’ He suggested that President Obama should invest in a ‘bulletproof teleprompter.’” [2]

Kaine stated further that, “I call on George Allen to reject the intolerant views of Foster Friess and ask Independence Virginia to return his contribution.”[3]

However, given Friess’s controversial views and public statements, it is highly unlikely that Allen will make any moves to influence how Independence Virginia delegates its contributions, even if it were legal.

And the reasoning goes beyond war-chest politics (i.e., raising as much campaign money as possible), it also has to do with the recalcitrance of conservative politicians like George Allen to budge on political demands made by ‘the left,’ as reasonable as they may be to outside observers. To do so would be a form of compromise and weakness in the minds of conservative politicians like George Allen.

Thus, the attitude shared by George Allen is precisely what the U.S. Senate does not need, another political representative unwilling to compromise because of some prideful inhibition or ideological sticking ground.

Compromise is, however, an integral part of our political system, as has been demonstrated by the disastrous consequences stemming from a lack of compromise by the last two congresses.

Our republic demands compromise, not ideological foot dragging. Furthermore, our republic demands principled representatives who are willing to stand up to the wrongs which their own supporters may perpetuate.

Allen’s political history represents neither.

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[1] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/oct/16/tdmet01-texan-gives-allens-super-pac-1-million-ar-2285574/

[2] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/oct/16/tdmet01-texan-gives-allens-super-pac-1-million-ar-2285574/

[3] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/oct/16/tdmet01-texan-gives-allens-super-pac-1-million-ar-2285574/