Richmond, VA - Today, Tim Kaine released a new ad outlining the choice Virginians face in November between George Allen's record of reckless spending and proposals to charge the middle class and small businesses the cost of tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and Tim Kaine's career of fiscal responsibility and leadership in tough economic times.
“Risk,” opens with Allen’s assertion from the September 20th Fairfax Chamber/NBC 4 debate that, “the best indicator of what somebody will do in the future is their record in the past.” The ad details the results of Allen’s last term in the Senate including deficits created by votes for increased spending and a million more Americans unemployed.
As he campaigns for re-election, Allen is championing the same policies that turned a surplus to a massive deficit and paved the way for an economic collapse. Allen's commitment to never consider a dollar of new revenue would mean deep cuts to education, Medicare, veterans' benefits, and other investments to grow the economy. In addition, the proposals Allen has laid out to avert the sequestration defense cuts facing Virginia would increase the deficit and make sequestration more likely by further entrenching Washington's gridlock.
WATCH “RISK”
“Virginians face a stark choice in this election between Tim Kaine's proven record of fiscal responsibility and George Allen's record of turning a surplus into a massive deficit and paving the way for an economic disaster,” said Brandi Hoffine, Kaine for Virginia Communications Director. "Unfortunately, George Allen’s current policies are no different. He's once again pledging to maintain costly tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and big oil companies while slashing education, defense, Medicare and other key priorities, making our businesses, middle class, and national economy weaker, not stronger. Instead, Virginians need the leadership of TIm Kaine who will take on our fiscal challenges by working with both parties and pursue a balanced strategy that doesn't jeopardize our economic recovery. That's the kind of leadership TIm Kaine provided as governor when Virginia was named the Best State for Business all four years and the best managed state.”
“Risk” will run in markets across Virginia. Due to the generosity of more than 40,000 donors, Kaine for Virginia has purchased $7.5 million in fall advertising.
Fact Check: :30 Risk
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KAINE: “I’m Tim Kaine and I approve of this message.” |
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ALLEN: “The best indicator of what someone will do in the future is their record in the past.” [On-Screen: SENATOR GEORGE ALLEN 2012] |
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MALE VOICE: “In the Senate, George Allen turned a surplus into a deficit…” [On-Screen: GEORGE ALLEN, U.S. SENATE 2001-2006 NATIONAL DEBT 2006 $3.2 TRILLION] |
Allen Took A Huge Budget Surplus And Turned It Into A Massive Federal Deficit. The Washington Post reported, “When Bush took office in January 2001, the government was forecasting a $5.6 trillion budget surplus between then and 2011.” As CNN put it: “[T]he federal budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 amounted to at least $230 billion, making it the largest in U.S. history.” The Washington Post continued, “Instead, it is now expecting to accumulate an extra $3 trillion in debt -- including a record $415 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.” [CNN, 9/27/2000; Washington Post, 10/8/04] As Senator, Allen Voted For Every Appropriations Bill That Came Up, Adding Over $3 Trillion To The National Debt. PolitiFact Virginia wrote, “Under the budgets approved during Allen’s term, debt climbed by $3.202 trillion. Congress sets budgets through a series of appropriations bills, and Allen supported all of the roughly four dozen bills to hit the Senate floor during his term. . . . Radtke said debt increased by $3 trillion during Allen’s Senate term, a figure equal to $16,000 per second. The actual figures were $3.202 trillion, or $16,896.68 per second.” [PolitiFact Virginia, 4/15/11] |
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MALE VOICE: “…and left office with a million more Americans unemployed.” [On-Screen: AMERICANS UNEMPLOYED 7.1 MILLION Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics] |
One Million More People Were Unemployed When Allen Left The Senate Than When He Was Sworn In. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the seasonally adjusted unemployment level in January 2001 was 6 million people, and in January 2007 it was 7.1 million people. [Bureau of Labor Statistics] |
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MALE VOICE: “Now Allen’s policies would increase the deficit a trillion dollars…” [On-Screen: ALLEN WOULD INCREASE DEFICIT $1 TRILLION Source: Congressional Budget Office] |
CBO Said Repealing The Affordable Care Act Would Increase Deficits By One-Half Percent Of GDP In Its Second Decade. According to the Congressional Budget Office, “On that basis, CBO estimates that the total increase in deficits during the 2023–2032 period from enacting H.R. 6079 would lie in a broad range around one-half percent of GDP.” [Congressional Budget Office, 7/24/12] · CBO: Affordable Care Act Will Cut Deficit By 1 Trillion Dollars In Its Second Decade. Ezra Klein of The Washington Post wrote, “As time goes on, the savings are projected to grow more quickly than the spending, and CBO expects that the law will cut the deficit by around a trillion dollars in its second decade.” [Ezra Klein, The Washington Post, 6/24/12] |
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MALE VOICE: “Cut Medicare, education…” [On-Screen: CUT MEDICARE AND EDUCATION Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11; Staunton Daily News Leader, 5/2/11] |
Allen Signed the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge. A June press release from the Allen campaign stated, “Today, George Allen signed the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge.” The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 (HR 2560) calls for a Balanced Budget Amendment that would cap spending at 18% of GDP, which is even more severe than the Ryan Budget Plan. According to the Washington Post, “The 18 percent cap on spending is so severe that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s economic plan would violate its strictures. So would any budget passed under President Ronald Reagan.” [Allen Campaign Press Release, 6/20/11; HR 2560; Editorial, Washington Post, 7/14/11] “Cut, Cap, And Balance” Would Subject “Medicare To Deep Reductions.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The ‘Cut, Cap, and Balance Act’ that the House of Representatives will vote on next week stands out as one of the most ideologically extreme pieces of major budget legislation to come before Congress in years, if not decades. . . . the legislation would inexorably subject Social Security and Medicare to deep reductions.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11] Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill's Constitutional Amendment Will Force “Deep Cuts” in Social Security and Medicare. The Cut, Cap and Balance bill contains a constitutional amendment which would set a spending cap of 18% of GDP and would make it virtually impossible for Congress to raise revenues. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concluded, “reaching and maintaining a balanced budget in the decade ahead while barring any tax increases would necessitate deep cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11] Norman Ornstein: Republican Cut, Cap and Balance Plan “Would Mean Slashing Social Security and Medicare.” In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute wrote that “a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget would be disastrous. . . . The Republican proposal would cap spending each year at 18 percent of gross domestic product. Because the formula is based on a previous year’s economy, it would mean, according to Republican economist Don Marron, a cap of more like 16.7 percent of GDP. This in turn means that the House-passed budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, which calls for draconian cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and discretionary domestic programs, would not be nearly draconian enough. Accounting for population changes, the 16.7 percent limit would mean slashing Social Security and Medicare well below the levels contemplated by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission, and cutting discretionary spending by half or more.” [Op-Ed, Norman Ornstein, The Washington Post, 7/18/11] Ron Paul Said That It Is “Impossible” For “Cut, Cap and Balance” To Balance The Budget Without Cutting Military Spending, Social Security And Medicare. In a speech to the House of Representative, Rep. Ron Paul said, “First, [Cut, Cap And Balance] purports to eventually balance the budget without cutting military spending, Social Security, or Medicare. This is impossible. These three budget items already cost nearly $1 trillion apiece annually. This means we can cut every other area of federal spending to zero and still have a $3 trillion budget. Since annual federal tax revenues almost certainly will not exceed $2.5 trillion for several years, this Act cannot balance the budget under any plausible scenario.” [Congressional Record, 7/20/11] By Closing The “Donut Hole,” The Affordable Care Act “Will Lower Costs For Beneficiaries Who Otherwise Would Have Been Required To Spend Thousands Of Dollars” On Prescription Drugs. According to Healthcare.gov, ”The Affordable Care Act makes many changes to strengthen Medicare and provide stronger benefits to seniors, while slowing cost growth. . . . [C]losing the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, often called the ‘donut hole,’ will lower costs for beneficiaries who otherwise would have been required to spend thousands of dollars out of their own pocket for their prescription drugs.” [Healthcare.gov, Accessed 9/26/12] In 2012, Under the Affordable Care Act, Over 16,000 Virginians On Medicare Saved Over $600 On Prescription Drugs On Average. According to Healthcare.gov: “Thanks to the new health care law, 84,977 people with Medicare in Virginia received a $250 rebate to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole in 2010. Since the law was enacted, Virginia residents with Medicare have saved a total of $83,949,689 on their prescription drugs. In the first five months of 2012, 16,509 people with Medicare received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount has resulted in an average savings of $635 per person, and a total savings of $10,489,831 in Virginia. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.” [Healthcare.gov, Accessed 7/16/12] 2011: Allen “Spoke About Ridding The Federal Government Of The Department Of Education.” In May 2011, the Staunton Daily News Leader reported that “in keeping with the tea party’s version of Constitutional traditionalism, [Allen] spoke about ridding the federal government of the Department of Education and ending federal mandates in education and other areas. The nation should better use the federal system which leaves nearly all government reform to the 50 states, he said.” [Staunton Daily News Leader, 5/2/11] |
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MALE VOICE: “… and, according to the Pentagon, risk thousands of Virginia defense jobs…” [On-Screen: “But by taking these funds from the poor, middle-class Americans, homeowners and other vulnerable parts of our American constituencies the guaranteed results will be confrontation, gridlock and a greater likelihood of sequester.” -Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, 5/10/12] |
Panetta Said House Bill Will Lead To “Confrontation, Gridlock And A Greater Likelihood Of Sequester.” At a DOD news briefing, Panetta said, “But by taking these funds from the poor, middle-class Americans, homeowners and other vulnerable parts of our American constituencies the guaranteed results will be confrontation, gridlock and a greater likelihood of sequester.” [Secretary Of Defense Leon Panetta, Press Conference, 5/10/12] |
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MALE VOICE: “… to give tax cuts to the wealthy.” [On-Screen: TO GIVE TAX CUTS TO THE WEALTHY Source: GeorgeAllen.com] |
Allen: “We Want To Make Sure President Bush’s Tax Cuts Are Permanent.” [C-Span, 4/6/04] Allen Advocates For A “Freedom To Choose” Flat Tax. George Allen’s “Blueprint for America’s Comeback” advocates for a “Freedom to Choose” flat tax: “Enact the ‘Freedom to Choose’ Flat Tax for individuals. Let the American people decide for themselves whether to stay with the current code or go with a flat-tax alternative so simple that the entire federal tax return can be reduced to a single page.” [“Blueprint for America’s Comeback,” www.georgeallen.com] 2011: Allen Opposed Effort To Roll Back Tax Breaks For Big Oil Companies, Called It A "Political Stunt." The Free-Lance Star reported, “U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine says he backs a push by Senate Democrats to end subsidies for oil companies. But two Republicans running for the seat, George Allen and Jamie Radtke, don't agree.” Allen spokeswoman Katie Wright called the effort a "political stunt." [The Free Lance-Star, 5/13/11] |
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MALE VOICE: “We can’t afford George Allen back in the Senate.” [On-Screen: RE-ELECTING GEORGE ALLEN WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE] [On-Screen: APPROVED BY TIM KAINE. PAID FOR BY KAINE FOR VIRGINIA] |
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