Kaine: Bills Turning VA Into 'Laughingstock'
Ultrasounds and Personhood distracting from more important issues like economy, U.S. Senate candidate says.
Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) says the 2012 General Assembly's attention to divisive social issues is distracting the commonwealth from more important issues such as the economy - and turning Virginia into the butt of many jokes.
Kaine, former Democratic National Committee chair and a candidate for U.S. Senate, in Northern Virginia for an economic roundtable on Wednesday, says citizens are voicing their concerns as the General Assembly prepares to move forward on bills that give full personhood rights from the moment of fertilization and mandate vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion.
"What I hear from our business leaders and owners is that they are tired of partisan games and distractions causing uncertainty and making it hard to be successful," Kaine told reporters in a conference call.
"This isn't want people want to see," Kaine said. "What is happening in Richmond is bad for Virginia women, bad for Virginia's image and businesses. We did not earn accolades by embracing measures that have become fodder for late night shows and turned Virginia into a laughingstock."
The bills have been fodder for shows such as SNL and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in the last few days.
Kaine said he thinks Gov. Bob McDonnell may be listening to the opposition. More than 1,000 people staged a silent protest in at the state capitol in Richmond on Monday. The Virginia House then delayed its vote on HB462 (the ultrasound bill), which could be a sign that McDonnell may be rethinking his stance.
"Virginians have not slept through this," Kaine said. "The legislators did a trick they often do. When there is a big crowd, postpone a day so they can vote after everyone goes home. People went home, but did not stop their letters, emails and calls to make sure legislators are aware how out of step their views are with general public. The General Assembly is now begnning to understand how out of step they are with general public."
Also troubling, Kaine said, is that Personhood legislation, which has not been passed in several other states that have tried, could become a national issue. Among his opponents in the Senate race, Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas), the sponsor of HB1, Virginia's Personhood bill, and former senator and governor George Allen (R), whom Kaine says advocated for federal Personhood rights in a Dec. 7 debate with Kaine. To see that discussion, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTkfRV9bc2U
Allen spokeswoman Katie Wright told reporters that Kaine is looking to “change the subject” from the economy to social issues.
“It’s ironic that Chairman Kaine professes to want to talk about jobs when he’s on a conference call that his own campaign organized discussing issues that are moving through the General Assembly,” Wright said in a email. “He and his allies seem intent on making this race about anything other than solutions to create jobs, addressing our country’s energy issues including surging gas prices and reining in the wasteful excesses of Washington that have made trillion-dollar deficits the norm.”
Kaine says the issues in Virginia are part of a national trend.
"It is clearly part of broader trend when see Personhood popping up in a number of states and members of congress fighting the contraceptive mandate. Personhood could well jeopardize womens' access to FDA-approved birth control," Kaine said, pointing out that the birth control argument has been a surprising - and divisive - issue in the 2012 Presidential race.
"[Mandating] ultrasounds is government over-reach at its worst," he said. "Equally shocking is the attitude it sends 'we know better than you do that we know what is better for you.' It is outrageous. Patients, not politicians, should decide what medical procedures they need."
Meanwhile, Marshall told NBC12 in Richmond, that HB1 has been misunderstood.
"It doesn't abolish abortion," he said. "It doesn't get rid of birth control. It doesn't affect in vitro. The major effect on this is to say that before birth, there's a human being there, and there's a case for a wrongful death."
Kathy
12:53 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Among his opponents in the Senate race, Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas), the sponsor of HB1, Virginia's Personhood bill, and former senator and governor George Allen (R), whom Kaine says advocated for federal Personhood rights in a Dec. 7 debate with Kaine. To see that discussion, click here.
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Karen Goff
1:42 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sorry about that. There have been major software issues the last few days. Working to correct that now.
Mike
11:29 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wake me up if we have a state representative do something as bad as Anthony Weiner did. Kaine is just manufacturing rage because he's running for a Senate seat.
Ann H Csonka
5:43 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Weiner's behavior was disgusting and stupid; his LIES were inexcusable. No comparison.
These Virginia bills specifically affect the private lives of all Virginians, dictate personal choices for women's health, and HB462 *gets between doctors and patients*. Some lawmakers who support HB462 have vigorously criticized the Federal Affordable Care Act saying it *gets between doctors and patients*, which it does not. HB462 DOES.
Explain that inconsistency.
Women are in their own bodies. ...do you think we do not KNOW?...or CARE?…or suffer over natural miscarriages that occur? BTW, how much will it cost for the new big government to monitor every woman's uterus continually, every doctor visit, every prescription?
Hey—when will Richmond implant tiny devices in every male, to count wasted sperm?
These obsessively intrusive bills negatively affect ALL VIRGINIANS. They DO make our state a laughingstock. People are hearing "what the hell are they doing in Virginia?" from friends and relatives around the world.
This is NOT A GOOD WAY TO INVITE progressive modern businesses to Virginia—where employees would be subjected to this regressive oppressive atmosphere.
Kaine isn't manufacturing rage, he is reflecting the rage of countless constituents. Those who disrespect, demean, and dictate to women clearly don't care.
Ryan C Roth
10:27 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012
I agree. It's not manufactured rage. Virginia literally is becoming a joke. You know there is a problem when people start justifying the actions saying "At least we aren't as bad as New York or Texas"
John j.
11:21 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Agree on the idea of keeping personal choice and freedom and not having a government dictate, but be consistent, don't dictate via implementation of Obama care that we all have to pay for other people's choices such as abortion and contraception. Personal choice, personal problem, personal bill to pay!
Tammi Petrine
11:11 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Mike and Chris are living in an alternative universe if they don't see that Virginia is treading on dangerous ground here... Laughing stock? Yeah, because you can't believe theVA legislators, mostly men, supporting this concept are so damn stupid and arrogant. Talk about invasive governmental tinkering!!!
More like crying stock if it weren't so dang outrageous and dangerous. Let's focus on the real issues. Getting Viagra withdrawn from the market merits more attention for these busy-body "believe as I believe" nitwits.
Virginia has serious issues! How about parity in transportation funding for the state's bread basket which is floundering in grid-lock for starters? Sheesh!
And for the record, I too am getting comments from friends and family in CA, Ill, NY, NC and Texas about Virginia's dopey moves. Kaine is right on: We are a laughing stock but mostly folks are glad THEY don't live in Virginia.
RME KRNL
5:22 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Since Governor McDonnell (R) has already done more to help Virginia's economy than you did when you were governor, Timmy, maybe there is some room to also consider certain social issues as well.
"[Mandating] ultrasounds is government over-reach at its worst," he said. "Equally shocking is the attitude it sends 'we know better than you do that we know what is better for you.' It is outrageous."
Now, here, Timmy, I agree with you, especially if you substitute the word "contraceptives" for "ultrasounds" in your quote above. Oh, but wait, you can't do that, can you? Because Obama wants to mandate contraceptive availability AND have private insurers and/or taxpayers pay for it. There IS a right to life in this country; there is no "right" to contraceptives.
Mary Lambe
10:14 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tim Kaine and Barack Obama running on their records. The Democrats will abort that idea, with no need for an ultrasound.
Karen Stallings
8:20 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
There is a huge difference in available and required. Is there a right to Viagra? In your scenario, its ok for taxpayers to pay for impotent men's health care. This is an assault on women's health care, pure and simple. Wake up.
Chris
9:47 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
Maybe it is time for all of the kool- aid drinkers to get out of VA if they don't like it. They are the laughing stocks
Mike James
11:28 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
I know what you mean. I was watching Fox news the other day (as much as I could stand anyway) and noticed how their audience laps up the kool aid (the vitriol and hatred) without ever checking the facts. It's like they are predisposed to be racist homophobes, haters of women, children, poor folks, retired people, immigrants, gay folks, people wishing better working conditions and anyone with an education. It would be nice if we had the intellectual Republican party back, people who understand facts, compromise and act accordingly, instead of from their narrow bigoted view of things.
Chris
11:40 am on Monday, February 27, 2012
Calm down angry liberal!!! It would be nice if we had the normal Democrats back. Not the racist, elitist, anti-American Dems that are now in office
Ryan C Roth
12:48 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
I actually agree with you here. But the same is true about the other side as well. I would say 90% of each side are just furthering the slide, pandering to the votes and money that back them. Just getting crazier and crazier.
As evidenced by the current crop of GOP candidates. Jon Huntsman, being passed over for being too moderate? And Mitt Romney, Newt, and Santorum surviving?
Mike James
12:52 pm on Monday, February 27, 2012
I wasn't angry, I was laughing at the comment. I was a republican once, what we have now isn't republican, it's functionally insane masquerading as republicans. Even the smarter of the two Bush's (at least according to his mother) is lamenting the current republican crop of idiocy. Any republican with have half a wit about him/her would vote these tea folks out of office. We need a functioning two party system. Both parties need to understand the needs of the American people and act accordingly to help them. While living in a Mad Max movie may work for the apocalyptic Christians, it wont work well for the rest of us who actually care about this country.
Vasquez2
9:34 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Haters of women, children, the poor, retired, immigrants, gay, education? Bet they hate Bambi too! You know, I never paid much attention to Fox, either way. I usually watched local news or CNN on odd occasions but never had an allegiance toward or vendetta against particular network but I'd heard so much vitriole against Fox from some of my liberal co-workers that I formed an "uninformed" opinion. Then, on a challenge from a co-worker who is a Fox watcher, I agreed to tune in for 2 weeks and revisit my opinion. I expected to be bombarded with everything Mike described and found quite the opposite to be true. Sean Hannity aside, everyone else is center-right, center-left, indie or Liberal (Shep Smith, Geraldo Rivera, I even see Juan Williams (ex-NPR) and Mara LIasson (NPR), Tammy Bruce (Lesbian-radio host) on Bret Bairds show all the time. It seems Fox gives voice to ALL opinions, whether they agree or not and that suits me (as a Constitutionalist) more than what amounts to no less than censorship on many other networks that only ridicule or assault opposing viewpoints IF they air them at all.
I also factcheck as well. If I hear something questionable, I'll look further. So far, I've learned much more at Fox than I ever did at CNN. After checking out the ratings, I see why O'Reilly is the No.1 in the 8pm slot and why Fox dominates cable news, for that matter. On 2nd thought...I think I just figured out where the hate is coming from after all...a buncha sore losers!
Mike
10:10 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
In general, I don't pay too much attention to US news media because it's corporate owned. Remember when there was the news, and then some variety show like "A Current Affair" on after that? Now it's blended together into something that is called news, but is mostly infotainment fluff. The only thing I like on Fox News is John Stossel and Andrew Napolitano (when he was on).
I will say, Fox is a little more "professional" and has more talented people, while MSNBC is a clown show full of hacks and has-beens. Agendas aside, I am describing the presentation aspect. One of my favorite classes at GMU was "Questioning the Media," this stuff is a casual interest of mine.
The nice thing is you are in front of the best means to get info w/o the crud-the Internet. You can even watch BBC, Aljazeera, and Russia Today on local cable. You are not bound to US corporate owned media...thank goodness!
Side note-patch rocks, they are not part of "the mess!"
Mike
10:00 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Of course I do, but I don't frequent patch for national or international headlines either.
Karen Goff
10:14 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wow, Gentlemen. Thanks for your support. Patch my be owned by a corporation, but what is posted on each of the 800+ sites is up to the local editor. I try and play it down the middle, but people are always going to see bias anyway.
Keep on reading!
Mike James
11:15 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Thanks Karen for letting people voice their opinions. Anyone with half a brain would notice that the opinions run the full gambit here, pointing out that they are just opinions and nothing more, makes it even more fun. (now all the half of brain people are gonna argue with my opinion...LOL!)
Kate Peterson
2:01 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Personally I think that the Patch model is part of the solution, especially the Reston Patch which has done an outstanding job of following all of the issues related to Women's Health. We wouldn't have known about them until they were much further along were it not brought to light here. I think the comments also helped make the issues more viable to SNL and the Daily Show--comments drive SEO on topics. I'm sure both shows track trending issues via all social media & web based news outlets. So I say--Great coverage Reston Patch and good job Ms. Goff!
Chris
7:34 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Patch was not the only source to report this story. It was all over the internet and in the Washington Post the next day. It looks like some of the comments got deleted.