Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine are virtually polar opposites when it comes to the tenets of the modern day Democratic Party.
In 2005, Kaine stood for everything Clinton opposes today: marriage between a man and a woman, the Second Amendment and the right to life.
When Kaine was running for governor of Virginia in 2005, he laid out a culturally conservative platform on his campaign website.
Here are some highlights:
Marriage
In 2005, Kaine was opposed to gay marriage.
“I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman and that marriage is a uniquely valuable institution that must be preserved,” he declared under the heading “Strong Families and Strong Communities.”
Second Amendment
Tim Kaine was unequivocally in support of the Second Amendment.
His 2005 website reads:
Tim Kaine strongly supports the Second Amendment. As the next Governor of Virginia, he will not propose any new gun laws. Instead Tim Kaine will guarantee strict enforcement of our existing criminal laws. He will also expand the use of such enforcement strategies as Project Exile that target criminals who use guns rather than law-abiding gun owners.
Both the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Virginia guarantee that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
Abortion
Tim Kaine didn’t support abortion in 2005.
According to his platform:
I have a faith-based opposition to abortion. As governor, I will work in good faith to reduce abortions by:
1. Enforcing the current Virginia restrictions on abortion and passing an enforceable ban on partial birth abortion that protects the life and health of the mother;
2. Fighting teen pregnancy through abstinence-focused education;
3. Ensuring women’s access to health care (including legal contraception) and economic opportunity; and
4. Promoting adoption as an alternative for women facing unwanted pregnancies.
We should reduce abortion in this manner, rather than by criminalizing women and doctors.
Taxes
In 2005, Kaine sought to promote his tax-cutting bonafides. He couldn’t cut taxes enough and promised to cut them more:
As a city councilman and Mayor of Richmond, Tim Kaine cut property taxes twice, cut business license taxes, and cut utility taxes. He was also a leading advocate for a Richmond tax relief initiative that gives a 15-year real estate tax break to residents who make substantial improvements in their homes.
The tax relief Kaine supported for rehabilitation and renovation attracted millions of dollars in new investment to Richmond.
As Lt. Governor, Tim Kaine stood with Mark Warner to enact a comprehensive, bipartisan budget reform that raised the sales tax ½ cent and raised the tax on cigarettes, but cut the food tax, ended the marriage penalty, cut the income tax and removed 141,000 Virginians from the income tax rolls altogether.
Tim Kaine and Mark Warner also proposed completely phasing out the car tax within four years, but the legislature stripped that language out of the budget.
As Lt. Governor, Tim Kaine proposed cutting the marriage license tax for most couples.
As Governor, Tim Kaine will continue to fight for tax relief that eases Virginians’ tax burden and stimulates the economy.
Tim Kaine has two proposals, each one a targeted tool designed to address a specific problem. One is a reduction in the homeowners’ tax, the other is a tax credit for small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees.
How will the leftists react when they realize their candidate is shifting right — instead of left — with her vice presidential pick?
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