DANVILLE REGISTER & BEE: TIM KAINE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF IN SENATE RACE
"We were unimpressed with Allen’s previous Senate term."
"Kaine has steered clear of the red vs. blue debates about what it will take to get America working again and embraced what matters most."
"We don’t often endorse Democrats on this page, but Kaine has been a proven leader who has the ability to work with both Democrats and Republican while remembering the people who put him in office."
We’ve never endorsed Tim Kaine.
Today, we break with those previous stands and endorse Tim Kaine to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Jim Webb.
We were unimpressed with Allen’s previous Senate term. Given the hindsight of the past six years, we found that many of the issues today — runaway federal spending, two wars that were paid for with borrowed money and the prescription drug program for seniors that doesn’t allow the federal government to negotiate for the best prices — had their origins during Allen’s first Senate term.
But Kaine isn’t the lesser of two evils; he is a proven leader who can work with Democrats and Republicans. We will need Kaine’s maturity, faith and willingness to compromise to solve the problems this country faces.
"My goal in life is to serve other people," Kaine said recently.
During this election, Kaine has been criticized for his ties to President Barack Obama. But Kaine isn’t too close to the president to deny that tougher environmental regulations are hurting Virginia’s coal industry. At the same time, he recognizes that with advancements in natural gas mining, even if the regulations on coal were relaxed (a change Kaine favors), coal — including Virginia coal — would still be in big trouble.
When Kaine was governor, he worked closely with economic developers in the Dan River Region. "The talent issues are my real passion," Kaine said recently. "If you win the talent race, you win the economic development race."
That emphasis on work force development is a cornerstone of the Dan River Region’s economic development plan — and it shows how closely Kaine has steered clear of the red vs. blue debates about what it will take to get America working again and embraced what matters most.
Voters also should remember that after the federal stimulus passed, Kaine helped steer nearly $30 million to Danville for a new Robertson Bridge. If it weren’t for Kaine, local drivers would still be stuck in the two-lane traffic jam that the old "Smurf Bridge" had become.
We don’t often endorse Democrats on this page, but Kaine has been a proven leader who has the ability to work with both Democrats and Republican while remembering the people who put him in office.
Read the endorsement HERE
###