Daily Kos

VA GOV: Kilgore's 'Sugar Daddy'

by Dems2004

Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 03:09:56 AM PDT

You might think that Tim Kaine responded badly to Jerry Kilgore's attack on him regarding the death penalty.

You would be right.

As Tim Tagaris at SSP (Swing State Project) noted earlier this morning, the response made him want to 'throw up in his mouth.'  Strong language, but in this case I think it is completely warranted.  If you visit Kaine's website (in my sig line) you will find the response that has worried residents and watchers of this election alike.

What I haven't seen in these diaries and articles is that Kaine has another ad, one in which he talks about Jerry's 'sugar daddy'.

According to an article by Jeff E. Schapiro and Tyler Whitley of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, there is another ad which calls Jerry out for being financed with money from a person who formerly owned a drug firm that has been under investigation by the SEC for Medicare fraud.

The Kaine ad focuses on an estimated $600,000 in contributions to Kilgore from John and Joseph Gregory, the former chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of a drug company investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations of Medicaid fraud.

According to Kilgore, King Pharmaceuticals Inc. -- a company no longer controlled by the Gregory family -- miscalculated rebates and voluntarily reported the error to federal authorities. The firm set aside more than $130 million for post-inquiry reimbursements.

Citing campaign-finance records, the Kaine campaign noted that John Gregory, of Bristol, Tenn., has donated $375,000 to Kilgore. An additional $75,000 came from Gregory's investment company. Joseph Gregory gave Kilgore $150,000.

Kaine, reviving an issue he pressed in early summer, claims that Kilgore -- as attorney general -- should have determined whether Virginia was cheated by the alleged fraud.

{...}

"Instead of doing his job as attorney general and protecting Virginia taxpayers from being cheated, Kilgore protected his political sugar daddy," says the Kaine ad.

So, we have dueling ad wars, and no one wins when that happens.  I am glad to see Kaine re-branding Kilgore in at least one of the ads his campaign is running.

Now if we can get his campaign to hit back hard on this 'hitler' nonsense (despicable is what Tagaris calls it), we might have an easier time beating the snot out of Kilgore.

{Update:} Rasmussen has today's poll up; Kaine 44% Kilgore 46%

VA Governor's Poll by Rasmussen

Tags: 2005, Virginia, governor, Elections, Tim Kaine, Jerry Kilgore, death penalty, finance, polls (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 13 comments

  •  This is so important (none / 1)

    I would like to ask all who have a stake in this election to contact the Kaine Campaign and make it clear that the nice guy routine will not work.

    Mark
    Cumberland, Virginia

    It all happens in the Heartland of Virginia

    by Dems2004 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 03:05:24 AM PDT

  •  Clinton is going down to raise money for Kaine (none / 1)

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR2005101100878.html

    by pmob5977 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 03:33:13 AM PDT

  •  election over? (none / 1)

    over at red state they are crowing about how the election is over and kaine blew it.any polls out
    there to show this ?  kilgores new commercial is
    pretty devastating.anyway kaine better have something up his sleeve because i hate to see redstate gloating on nov 9th.i would tie kilgore to bush who is not very populart even in virginia.

    by JOEL1954 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 04:56:35 AM PDT

    •  How about linking Kilgore... (none / 1)

      ...to Jim Gilmore, the governor who preceded Warner and created the huge financial mess Warner spent his entire term cleaning up?  I can't believe it's even close, Gilmore was that horrible...

      2 + 2 = 5

      by nevsky42 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 05:04:33 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  The latest poll (none / 1)

      was Rassmussen on Sept 30th.  They were tied at 45% each at that time. No more polls yet, other than internal, I am sure.

      Karl Rove is coming to town for Kilgore; Bill Clinton is coming for Kaine.  Wouldn't it be nice to see Karl get some bad news while he is here helping all those VA Republicans?

      ooohhh, that gave me chills.  ;)

      Mark
      Cumberland, Virginia

      It all happens in the Heartland of Virginia

      by Dems2004 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 05:18:38 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  WHY ROVE (4.00 / 2)

        you would think kilgore wouldn`t even want to be
        seen with rove.very bad decision.all i can  tell you are the kilgore commercials are willie horton like.kaine better respond better than kerry did.it just seems like republicans know how to win elections and have no idea what to do after they win!!!!

        by JOEL1954 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 05:33:11 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Other possible ad (4.00 / 2)

    Waldo Jaquith floated this idea over at his blog:

    A two-minute-long ad in the style of Oprah's guest-introduction biographical videos, with the interview subject being one of the many children who were tortured at the Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center. Tears, sense of helplessness/hopelessness, story about the federal probe into Beaumont and the Secretary of Public Safety obstructing that probe for political reasons. The money shot is the revelation that Kilgore was that Secretary of Public Safety, and the subject asking, directly to Kilgore, "Why did you let them hurt me? Why?"

    Abuse was common at Beaumont--not allegations of abuse, Jaquith says, but confirmed cases of children being beaten into unconsciousness by guards.  More:

    This all came to light in May of 1996. The Justice Department, after tipped off to routine abuse of children, launched an investigation. Governor George Allen, having been elected on a "tough on crime" ticket, established harsh new standards for juvenile offenders, putting them in prison for lesser offenses and keeping them in longer.

    Overcrowding inevitably got worse, abuse became more common, and the whole system quickly ceased to rehabilitate children, and instead turned them into hardened criminals. This was a stark contrast to just a decade previously, when Virginia's juvenile-justice system was considered the model for the whole of nation and the envy of leaders of states across the country. Allen and his Secretary of Public Safety turned that whole system on its head, though, and managed to destroy everything good about the system, making it worse than useless.

    Despite the obviousness of the abuse -- it was as clear then as it is now -- the reaction from the Allen administration was shocking. Rather than admit fault, express shame at the federal government's need to get involved, they became very defensive. The Secretary of Public Safety declared that the whole probe was purely political, an effort by President Clinton to detract from Gov. Allen's juvenile justice overhaul.

    Kilgore did nothing.  A hard-hitting ad charging him with dereliction of duty as Secretary of Public Safety would be useful.  (This may also come in handy if George Allen decides to throw his hat into the ring for 2008.)

    Liberal: "I still think it's a respectable word. Its root is "liber," the Latin word for "free," and isn't that what we are all about?"--Mary McGrory

    by mini mum on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 05:52:29 AM PDT

  •  rasmussen has kilgore up (none / 0)

    rasmussen has kilgore up 46-44 since the debate, close but kilgore may have bottomed out.potts may really be  hurtings kaines chances because they are attracting the same voters.

    by JOEL1954 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 06:14:20 AM PDT

  •  Kaine should ask Potts to endorse him (none / 1)

    Sometimes, a bold move goes a long way. Kilgore has ducked every debate with Potts, and Potts has been on record calling Kilgore a coward who doesn't deserve to be governor.

    A Potts endorsement and explanation of why he is supporting Kaine would be a major boost to the Kaine campaign.

    The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of crisis, remain neutral.

    by ten10 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 07:24:25 AM PDT

Permalink | 13 comments