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Open in TheBrain

Kaine, Tim Sen

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climatehawk fron Va, survived attacks  from wilks, GPS, Rove

also good on corp person

so primary 6/16

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MSNBC MADDOW

Dec. 27, 2024,

By Steve Benen

By now, the basic elements of last week’s drama on Capitol Hill are widely known. House Speaker Mike Johnson reached a bipartisan agreement to prevent a government shutdown; Elon Musk and a variety of Republican officials balked; GOP officials started stripping measures from the legislation; and eventually a package worked its way to the White House before the deadline.

Of particular interest, however, were the federal investments in cancer research that Republicans removed from the agreement. Because we discussed this last week, it’s important to emphasize that one of the measures that was eliminated ended up becoming law anyway. The New York Times reported:

After a tumultuous few days, President Biden on Saturday signed into law a spending bill that had been heavily trimmed down to 120 pages from 1,547. It had lost provisions targeting hidden fees on concert tickets and criminalizing the publication of some deepfake pornography. But two of the measures that had been dropped from the final bill … were salvaged as separate bills and passed by the Senate.

This gets a little complicated, but bear with me.

There were several measures related to cancer research that House Republicans scrapped, including efforts to make it easier for low-income families to cross state lines for medically complex pediatric cancer treatments, as well as bills intended to encourage production of new pediatric cancer treatments.

The Bulwark’s Sam Stein, an MSNBC contributor, also reported that GOP lawmakers ended funding for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program — named after a 10-year-old Virginia girl who died from an inoperable brain tumor in 2013 — that helped to fund pediatric cancer research. The policy had long enjoyed bipartisan support, and since it was up for reauthorization this year, no one was especially surprised when it was included in the stopgap bill, ensuring that the program would continue for another decade.

When House Republicans took out their editing pens, however, the program was removed, too.

The bad news for health advocates is that nearly all of the measures related to cancer research could not be rescued before lawmakers wrapped up their work. The good news for health advocates is that Senate Democrats, taking advantage of the fact that the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program passed the House months earlier as a freestanding bill, successfully sought unanimous consent to save the policy and keep the initiative in place through 2031.

At this point, some readers are probably asking a good question: If the legislation already passed the lower chamber months earlier, why didn’t the Senate Democratic majority bring it to the floor earlier? Why blame House Republicans for killing a bill related to pediatric cancer research if the GOP-led House already advanced the program?

Opinion

Cancer nearly left my kids without a mom. Funding cuts may halt the science that saved me.

Jenney Bitner

News

The federal government has shut down — for now

Sydney Carruth

I’m afraid this is the complicated part. Because of the way the Senate operates, and the time it takes to pass anything through the upper chamber, the Senate generally avoids taking up relatively small, standalone policies. The calendar just won’t allow it. Members instead wait for larger spending packages and simply attach the smaller bills.

To be sure, we can have a discussion about whether Capitol Hill should work this way, but there can be no doubt that this is how the modern congressional process works.

It’s precisely why House Republicans were blamed last week for eliminating the program: GOP members understood that by taking the items related to cancer research out of the continuing resolution, they were necessarily putting the programs in real jeopardy.

Fortunately, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia stepped up and rescued the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program, so this element of the larger effort survived the Republican editing process.

The same cannot be said of the other cancer-related measures — efforts to make it easier for low-income families to cross state lines for medically complex pediatric cancer treatments, as well as bills intended to encourage production of new pediatric cancer treatments — that were supposed to be a part of the spending package, but didn’t make the final package after being removed by House GOP leaders.

*:{This post updates ourrelated earlier coverage

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MMA

Fox personalities used to claim that energy independence would shield the US from potential retaliatory action by Iran — such as closing the Strait of Hormuz

As gas prices rise, the network has scarcely invoked the concept of “energy independence,” mentioning it a fraction as often as it did during the start of the Russia-Ukraine war

Special ProgramsClimate & Energy

Written by Allison Fisher

Published 03/18/26

In reality, America has never truly been energy independent, and such a policy is not even truly possible. Energy prices are determined by a global market, meaning the United States will never be free from oil and gas price fluctuations no matter how much oil it produces domestically. Indeed, this moment represents the most definitive rebuke yet of the idea of American “energy independence.”

Even as the U.S. is producing record amounts of oil and the Trump administration pursues a voracious pro-fossil fuel agenda, the national average price of gas reached $3.45 a gallon on March 8, with The New York Times reporting that oil prices rose “above $100 a barrel for the first time in roughly four years, more than 40 percent more expensive than it was before the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28.” As of March 18, gas has climbed to a national average of $3.84 a gallon.

But rather than conceding the point that oil markets have always been and will likely always be volatile, Fox personalities are moving the goal posts on what “energy independence” means compared to the network’s narratives in 2022 and 2020. They’re now suggesting that energy independence can be achieved by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, that it means disruptions to gas prices caused by conflicts overseas are only temporary, or that energy independence enables the U.S. to start new wars that “wouldn't even have been possible if Joe Biden was president.”

In fact, Fox News mentioned “energy independence” at least 329 times in the first two weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and it continued to be a central narrative of Fox’s coverage after that, with mentions increasing to 632 one month into the conflict. Now, as prices skyrocket in response to Trump’s war on Iran, that talking point has been far less prevalent. In the first two weeks of the conflict, from February 28 through March 13, the terms “energy independence” or “energy security ” were mentioned just 12 times on Fox News programs.

Part of the 2022 narrative on Fox was also attacks on the Biden administration for releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to lower gas prices after Russia invaded Ukraine. Fox’s Maria Bartiromo claimed the move “tells you that they were blindsided” because the SPR “is supposed to be a reserve for crises and emergencies.”

Now, on the March 13 edition of *Fox & Friends First*, co-host Carley Shimkus claimed that “President Trump is restoring America’s energy independence [by] ordering 172 million barrels of oil to be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” calling it an example of how he is “battling back” against “the economic impacts of war.”

Notably, Fox correspondent David Spunt pointed out on March 9, before Trump decided to tap the reserves, that Biden was criticized by the right for releasing oil from the SPR in 2022 to offset sanctions against Russia by putting more oil in the global market.

In 2022, energy independence meant maintaining low gas prices during a foreign conflict. Now, Fox and others in right-wing media suggest price hikes driven by the fighting are only a temporary “sacrifice” for attacking Iran.

One Fox host, Tomi Lahren, did seem to acknowledge that energy independence has not shielded the U.S. from price shocks, though she still worried that people would grow impatient with gas costs.

It’s “really such a shame too because this president has worked so hard up until now on getting those gas prices down,” Lahren said. “American energy independence, still obviously a priority, but this kind of shakes the boat a little bit.”

In 2022, Fox personalities suggested energy independence was about insulating us from foreign conflicts. Frequent Fox guest and former Trump adviser Steve Moore now suggests it's about enabling us to start new wars abroad, claiming during a March 5 appearance on *Fox & Friends* that “this incursion wouldn't even have been possible if Joe Biden was president, because we didn't have the energy capacity to do it.”

“Thanks to drill, baby, drill, and Trump's America energy independence plan, … we produce more oil and gas than any other country in the world today,” he continued. “Thank you, Donald Trump, for making that possible. It’s really made it much — we're much less reliant on the Middle East than we used to be.”

And Fox anchor Shannon Bream tried to quickly move past the connection between rising global oil prices and Trump’s domestic energy policies during a March 1 interview with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), calling it “a whole ‘nother conversation.”

Kaine rebutted that it “does connect — the president wants energy independence, so he says, while he is terminating offshore wind projects and alternative energy all over the United States. If you want U.S. energy, why are you doing that?”

Video

Citation

From the March 1, 2026, edition of Fox News Sunday

In a January 4, 2020, op-ed for Fox News, Daniel Turner with the pro-industry think tank Power the Future argued that the “US can withstand Iranian attack on global oil supplies, thanks to Trump energy policies.” He wrote: “Fortunately, President Trump has aggressively pursued deregulation and other needed policies that have led to big increases in U.S. production of oil and natural gas. This makes us far less vulnerable to Iranian threats to block the Straits of Hormuz."

Fox Business host Jackie DeAngelis said on the January 3, 2020, edition ofFox News’ *Outnumbered* that Trump’s oil deregulation efforts were a “national security strategy.”

“Yes, the Strait of Hormuz, about 25% of the world's oil comes through there, so we'll be watching that closely,” she said. “But the U.S. just hit 12.6 million barrels a day in production. ... So when I look at the Trump administration rolling back regulation, what they’ve done with the oil strategy, I really look at it as a national security strategy.”

Fox Business host Stuart Varney even claimed on the January 3, 2020, episode of Fox & Friends that because of Trump’s energy independence policies, “if you took out Iranian oil installations, I don't think it would have that big an impact on us in America.”

Now, Trump is threatening to target the centerpiece of Iran’s oil production facilities on Kharg island — a major escalation that analysts warn risks “accelerating a structural shift in how energy supply chains are priced.”

“War-risk insurance premiums will likely remain elevated long after the last missile is fired,” wrote Jeff Currie of Carlyle Analysis. “And the behavioral response — hoarding, contract renegotiations, the scramble for alternative suppliers — permanently reprices the supply chain.”

The reality is that the U.S. cannot drill its way to “energy independence.” Becoming truly energy independent means weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels and adopting clean, renewable energy sources. That was true in 2020 and 2022, and it's even more important now.

Methodology...

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AN 11 25

One of the eight Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown was persuaded with the help of one GOP senator, who won him over by promising to strip one of President Donald Trump's unpopular policies out of the final bill.

That's according to a Tuesday article by Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio, who reported that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) worked with Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) on a provision preventing the Trump administration from implementing mass firings of federal workers. Initially, the White House was resistant to the proposal, but Desiderio reported that Britt served as a key "go-between" to secure the deal that may end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

As a Senate Democrat, Kaine has typically been a reliable vote against Trump's policies and appointments. But as Virginia's junior U.S. senator, Kaine (who was 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's running mate) represents roughly 320,000 federal workers, who have all either been furloughed or forced to work without pay as essential employees for the past 41 days. Desiderio noted that Britt promising to include a ban on RIFs (reductions in force) ultimately won him over.

"I said, ‘Thank you for helping convince the White House on the RIFs,’” Kaine told Punchbowl. “They really did not want to do it ... And I said, ‘I’m a no if you don’t do that.’”

Britt told Desiderio that she conducted multiple late-night calls with Republican leadership to convince them to include the anti-RIF provision in the final legislation, and that despite Kaine's opposition to Trump, she knew he ultimately wanted to make sure his constituents could get back to work and be compensated for more than a month of unpaid labor.

"The question was put on the table — how can they be guaranteed backpay, how can they be guaranteed ... getting their job back, making sure they can maintain it,” Britt said. “Those were all conversations that drew Sen. Kaine to the table as he fought for the people he serves.”

"We need opportunities to work together and to build trust, and I felt like this was a good way to do that," she added.

The legislation is now headed to the House of Representatives, where House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has promised to oppose it as it does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that Democrats fought for in the last month of negotiations. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not promised a House vote on restoring the ACA tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of 2025 and cause a significant spike in health insurance premiums.

an 5 25

...Griffin stated that U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, “believes that that more shoes could drop, is suggesting that there are more firings to come.”

Kaine also talked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Griffin said, and “had expressed extreme concern about a late night tweet by defense Secretary Hegseth, in which he threatened Iran with potential military action, if they don’t control the Houthies.”

https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/coup-shaped-hole-tucker-carlsons-new-film-about-brazil

Carlson’s new “documentary” style film about Brazil focuses on what he presents as China’s malignant influence and purported control over the country. Totally absent from the short movie, however, is the fact that Brazil’s crypto-Fascist President JairBolsonaro has said that if he loses in the next election next month, he might not accept the results. This omission tracks with Carlson’s history of embracing Bolsonaro’s illiberal policies, along with those of other authoritarian leaders around the world.

This looming, potential coup has alarmed many in the United States, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA). Sanders has spent weeks trying to whip support for a Senate resolution that would make clear that the United States would recognize the outcome of Brazil’s election, scheduled for October 2, as long as it was deemed legitimate by international outside observers. The resolution would also make it clear that the U.S. would not recognize any government that came to power through force or other irregular means. As of publication, no Republicans have signed on. 

There are glaringly obvious parallels between Bolsonaro’s position and that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who spearheaded a multipronged effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Republican opposition to the Sanders resolution is likely at least partly tied to Trump’s control of the GOP, and the risk of angering Trump by breaking with Bolsonaro.

Another possible explanation, which is not mutually exclusive from the first, is conservatives’ obsession with the so-called rise of China. It may very well be that Republican senators would happily support Bolsonaro’s illegal seizure of power if it meant opportunities for U.S. capital investment in the country and a strongman they could pit against China.

Carlson’s team traveled to Brazil in June to film in the country and has had ample time since then to include context about Bolsonaro’s threats to remain in power.

Just weeks before Carlson’s crew arrived, Bolsonarotold supporters that he’s prepared to “go to war” to stay in office.

In July, Bolsonaro hosted foreign leaders to manufacture and legitimize unfounded voter fraud conspiracy theories, clearly laying the foundation for a potential extra-legal challenge to the election if he loses.

In August, Bolsonaro said there were only three available outcomes for him. “I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed or victory,” he told a meeting of evangelical leaders, according to The Guardian.

That same month, The New York Times ran a massive story under the headline: “The Question Menacing Brazil’s Elections: Coup or No Coup?”

In short, the question of whether Bolsonaro will accept an electoral loss is not an ancillary question in next month’s contest, either in Brazilian or U.S. media and political circles.

Nonetheless, all of this information is absent from Carlson’s film, which instead portrays Bolsonaro as a bulwark against Chinese authoritarianism and imperialism.

“If Bolsonaro loses that election, China will certainly dominate Brazil,” Carlson narrates.

Carlson has a well-known admiration for foreign authoritarian leaders, including Bolsonaro. The feeling between the two of them is mutual. In June, Carlson aired an interview with Bolsonaro in which the leader heaped praise on the cable star.

“I can only say that you will be the most welcome in Brazil,” Bolsonaro gushed. “You would be an excellent counterpart to the other vehicles or outlets." [vid]

VideoCitationFrom the June 30, 2022, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight

that admiration is foregrounded in the new film. “In the past year, traditionally conservative governments like those in Chile and Colombia have been replaced by far-left leaders sympathetic to China,” Carlson says. “Bolsonaro is the only remaining pro-American head of state in all of South America.”

The clear takeaway for Carlson’s viewers is that Bolsonaro is a force for self-determination in the face of Chinese expansionism. The actual story is that Carlson and the conservative movement writ large are happy to export Trump-style election denialism if it will help them achieve their reactionary goals.

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820

expand scotus if jam thru

https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/democrats-have-a-warning-for-the-gop-if-it-tries-to-put-another-trump-appointee-on-the-supreme-court

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...The ruling is not just a huge win for Healy, it also raises significant questions over the country's next presumptive secretary of state. On the same day of the court's decision, former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson faced off with the U.S. Senate over his nomination as Donald Trump's top foreign affairs adviser.

At one point during the rocky all-day hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia asked Tillerson, "Are these conclusions about ExxonMobil's history of promoting and funding climate science denial, despite its internal awareness of the reality of climate change during your tenure with the company, true or false?"

Tillerson, despite working for half of his 42 years at Exxon as an executive, said he could not answer the question since he no longer worked for the company.

Kaine, however, pressed on. "I'm not asking you on behalf of ExxonMobil. You have resigned from ExxonMobil. I'm asking you whether those allegations about ExxonMobil's knowledge of climate science and decision to fund and promote a view contrary to its awareness of its science, whether the allegations are true or false."

Tillerson again did not answer.

"Do you lack the knowledge to answer my question, or are you refusing to do so?" Kaine asked.

Tillerson finally responded, "A little of both."

...

http://www.ecowatch.com/exxon-climate-research-2190240911.html

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6:25pm EDT: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the Mercatus Center, which he said "should be called the Koch Center" due to its massive Koch funding. He discussed the connections to the tobacco industry's attacks on tobacco science and the overlap with the Koch-funded Mercatus Center.

5:55pm EDT: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke about the Virginia Institute for Public Policy and the CO2 Coalition and the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation and mentioned DeSmogBlog's research in his #WebOfDenial speech. He also talked about the funding from Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust to denier organizations.

5:40pm EDT: Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke about the Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI),Willie Soon and Christopher Monckton's Hitler Youth outrage and claims to have a cure for AIDS and other "completely made up" Monckton-isms.

5:25pm EDT: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse spoke about the #WebOfDenial and the $700 billion in global subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, annually. He highlighted the work of Drexel University professor Robert Brulle to expose the climate change counter movement and what the Senators are calling the climate #WebOfDenial.

[cspan img]

5:15pm EDT: Sen. Tom Udall spoke about the front groups Greening Earth Society and the Information Council on the Environment (ICE) and the web of denial.

5:10pm EDT: Sen. Christopher Coons spoke about the historical denial efforts of The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC)

5pm EDT: Sen. Cardin spoke about the attacks on climate science by the defunct group Annapolis Center for Science-Based Public Policy which received funding from ExxonMobil and the tobacco industry. He was introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who was thanked for leading this effort. Whitehouse delivered his 144th statement on the need for climate action and discussed the influence of the web of denial blocking action.

Update 4:30pm EDT: Senator Reid kicked off the action on #WebOfDenial, railing against the Koch Brothers and Exxon for dishing out millions to fund climate denial organizations. Reid named Heartland Institute, Cato Institute and Americans For Prosperity, among others. You can watch the action on C-SPAN2.

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By a straight party-line vote of 54-42, the U.S. Senate failed to pass a constitutional amendment that would have overruled the awful Citizens Uniteddecision.

But our work had an impact. All five Senate Democrats whose support was unknown—Mary Landrieu, Mary Pryor, Joe Donnelly, Tim Kaine & Mark Warner—ended up voting “yes.”

lcv 88/91%

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2015307Extreme Attack on Carbon Pollution Limits for New Power Plants (CRA)Climate Change 

2015306Extreme Attack on Carbon Pollution Limits for Existing Power Plants (CRA)Climate Change 

2015297Extreme Assault on Clean Water Rule (CRA)Clean Water 

2015295Gutting Clean Water ProtectionsClean Water 

2015238Climate Change Science EducationClimate Change 

2015193Fast Track of Trade AgreementsOther 

2015188Investor-State Dispute Settlement in Trade AgreementsOther 

2015128Undermining Critical Habitat for WildlifeWildlife 

2015115Responding to the Threat of Climate ChangeClimate Change 

2015106Selling Off America's Public LandsLands/Forests 

201568Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline (KXL) Veto OverrideDirty Energy 

201549Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline (KXL)Dirty Energy 

201544Renewable Electricity Standard (RES)Clean Energy 

201543Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)Lands/Forests 

201541Fracking Drinking Water LoopholeClean Water 

201540Clean Energy Tax CreditsClean Energy 

201537National MonumentsLands/Forests 

201535Prairie-Chicken ProtectionsWildlife 

201534Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ExportsDirty Energy 

201520International Climate ActionClimate Change 

201519Forcing Tar Sands Polluters to Pay for SpillsDirty Energy 

201517Prioritizing Drilling on Public LandsLands/Forests 

201512Climate Change ScienceClimate Change 

20159Attack on Clean Air ProtectionsAir 

20157Limiting Access to the CourtsOther 

2014280Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline (KXL)Climate Change, Dirty Energy 

2014261Democracy for All Constitutional AmendmentOther 

2014247Environmental Review in Transportation RebuildingAir, Water 

2014157Clean Energy Tax CreditsClean Energy 

201478Undermining Flood Insurance ReformClimate Change 

==

wiki

Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine (born February 26, 1958) is an American politician currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Kaine was first elected to the Senate in 2012.

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Kaine is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Kaine began his career as a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit before entering private practice and becoming a lecturer at the University of Richmond School of Law. Kaine was first elected to public office in 1995, when he won a seat on the Richmond, VirginiaCity Council. He was then elected Mayor of Richmond, Virginia in 1998, serving in that position until being electedLieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2002.

As all Virginia governors are limited to one consecutive term,[1] Kaine declared his candidacy for Governor of Virginia in 2005, in a bid to replace Mark Warner. Kaine won in an uncontested Democratic primary, and faced Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore in the general election; Kaine won with 51% of the vote, to Kilgore's 46%. Kaine served as Governor from 2006 to 2010. Upon becoming Governor, Kaine gave the Democratic response to the 2006 State of the Union Address. He was considered a top contender for running mate in Senator Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign, but instead became the 51st Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, serving from 2009 to 2011.

In 2012, after incumbent Senator Jim Webb announced that he would retire, Kaine declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Kaine prevailed in the Democratic primary and faced former Senator and Virginia Governor George Allen in the general election. On November 6, 2012, Kaine won with 53% of the vote, to Allen's 47%. Kaine was sworn into office on January 3, 2013.

Contents

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Early life and education

Kaine was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is the son of Mary Kathleen (née Burns) and Albert Alexander Kaine, Jr., who worked as a welder and owned a small iron-working shop.[2][3][4] He was raised Catholic.[5] His father is of Scottish and Irish descent, and his mother is of Irish ancestry.[6] Kaine grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kaine graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.A. in economics in 1979.[7] Kaine was a Coro Foundation fellow in Kansas City[8] in 1978. He attended Harvard Law School, taking a year-long break during law school to work with the Jesuit order as a Catholic missionary in Honduras.[9] Kaine is fluent in Spanish as a result of his year in Honduras.[10] He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983 with a Juris Doctor, and was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He clerked for Judge R. Lanier Anderson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In 1984, Kaine married former Richmond Juvenile Court Judge Anne Holton. Holton is the daughter of former Virginia governor A. Linwood Holton, Jr. Kaine and Holton have three children, Nat, Woody, and Annella.

Kaine practiced law in Richmond for 17 years, specializing in representing people who had been denied housing opportunities because of their race or disability. He was recognized by local, state, and national organizations for his advocacy of fair housing. He also taught legal ethics for six years at the University of Richmond Law School.[11] More than ten years into his legal career in 1994, he was elected to the city council of the independent city of Richmond from the portion of the city in which he resided under Richmond's system of nine wards.

Mayor of Richmond (1998–2001)

He was elected mayor of Richmond by the city council in 1998. (Until 2004, the mayor of Richmond was chosen by the city council from among its membership; under the present system, the mayor is chosen by popular vote.) He spent seven years on the city council, including two terms as mayor.

Under Kaine's leadership, Richmond saw the construction of its first new schools in a generation, tax cuts, and a reduction in the city’s crime rate. Richmond’s success in reducing violent crime, including a 55 percent drop in the city's homicide rate during his tenure,[12] earned national recognition from Presidents Bill Clinton andGeorge W. Bush and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Richmond's economic success during Kaine’s tenure earned the city its first-ever listing in Forbesmagazine’s annual ranking of the top 10 cities in America for doing business.[13]

As mayor, Kaine gained national attention following the implementation of a gun law known as Project Exile, an initiative that moved trials for armed defendants to federal court, which has stiffer sentencing guidelines.[14][15]

During his tenure as Mayor, Kaine drew criticism for designating public funds for an anti-gun-violence rally.[16][17][18][19] After a constituent raised concerns about the funding at a Richmond City Council meeting, Kaine raised the money privately and reimbursed the city.[20]

Lieutenant governor (2002–2005)

In the Virginia general elections of November 2001, Kaine ran for lieutenant governor and won with 925,974 votes (50.35%).[21] His opponents were Republican state Delegate Jay Katzen, with 883,886 votes (48.06%) and Libertarian Gary Reams, with 28,783 votes (1.57%). Kaine was inaugurated on January 12, 2002. As lieutenant governor, he also served as president of the Virginia Senate.

2005 Gubernatorial election

Main article: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005

An underdog for most of the race, Kaine led in some polls for the first time in October 2005, and held his lead into the final week before the election.[23] While the previous Democratic Governor, Mark Warner, was credited with doing especially well for a Democrat in rural areas of the commonwealth, Kaine's win featured surprising triumphs in traditionally Republican areas such as Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and the Northern Virginia exurbs of Prince William County and Loudoun County, as well as impressive showings in Democratic strongholds such as Richmond and Norfolk.[24]In 2005, Kaine ran for and won the office of governor of Virginia in the November general election, defeating Republican formerAttorney General Jerry W. Kilgore with 52% of the vote to Kilgore's 46%.[22]

Kaine closely associated himself with popular outgoing Democratic Governor Mark Warner during his campaign; he won his race with a slightly smaller portion of the vote than Warner did, but achieved a slightly wider margin on account of the third-party candidate's comparatively greater success in 2005. A number of factors, from the poll numbers of President George W. Bush to public reaction to the death penalty ads run by Kilgore, have also been cited as contributing to his decisive win.[25][26] Kaine was inaugurated in Williamsburg on January 14, 2006. Upon his inauguration, he became the first Catholic Governor in Virginia history.

Governor of Virginia (2006–2010)

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On January 31, 2006, Kaine gave the Democratic response to President Bush's}: 2006 State of the Union address. In his response, he argued that the Republicans failed to support bipartisanship in Washington and he condemned Bush's spending increases and tax cuts as "reckless".[27]Democratic response to State of the Union address

Budget special session

In March 2006, after the Virginia General Assembly failed to come up with a budget, Kaine called for a special session that continued until June. The debate was over transportation issues and how to fund current and new projects. Most of the debate originated in a struggle within the Republican-controlled Senate and House of Delegates. In 2007, however, a transportation bill was passed and signed into law by Kaine.[28]

Conservation

In May 2006, Governor Kaine announced his plan to protect 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) of Virginia land from development before the end of his service as Governor of Virginia. Kaine's conservation efforts focus on encouraging landowners to donate protective easements that restrict development.[29] As of 2007, according to government statistics, Maryland spends as much as $21 per capita on land conservation, while Virginia spends $1.45.[30] On the other hand, Virginia also has a higher proportion of its total land area under permanent protection than many other states, with about 13.69% of it currently protected.[31]

Smoking

In June 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all government buildings and state-owned cars.[32]

Civil War records

Kaine announced that Virginia would be the first state to digitize records from the Civil War Era Freedmen's Bureau. This would facilitate research into post-Civil War African-American history.[33]

HPV vaccinations

Kaine has signaled his support for vaccinating sixth-grade girls in Virginia with the HPV vaccine. In 2007, Virginia, along with 20 other states, was considering a law to expand such vaccinations. Accordingly, in 2007, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a law that mandated such vaccinations, while allowing parents to opt out of the requirement without citing a reason. After expressing "some qualms", Kaine signed the bill into law.[34]

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When news of the}: Virginia Tech shootings broke, Kaine canceled a trade mission to Japan and India to attend to the situation. Kaine spoke at the convocation held in Blacksburg the day after the shooting in which he invoked the Biblical story of Job. Kaine said he would appoint a panel of independent law-enforcement officials to determine what the university knew about the student responsible for the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 32 people.Virginia Tech shooting

The commission, led by former Virginia State Police Superintendent Gerald Massengill and former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, began work on April 28, 2007, and issued its findings and recommendations on August 30, 2007. On April 30, 2007, Governor Kaine signed an executive order instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers.[35] Kaine's quick return to the state and his handling of the issue received widespread praise.[36]

Metro

In July 2007, Kaine supported an above-ground solution to the debate on building the Silver Line of the Washington Metro through Tysons Corner. Some people disagreed and preferred a tunnel.[37]

Education

During the 2008 General Assembly session, Governor Kaine backed a $22 million proposal to make pre-kindergarten education more accessible to at-risk four-year-olds.[38]

Omeish resignation

Kaine appointed Dr. Esam Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration, which was examining whether Virginia should do more to restrict illegal immigration. In September 2007, Omeish resigned as a commission member—as requested by Kaine—three hours after remarks made by Omeish on a call-in show on WRVA radio in Richmond were brought to Kaine's attention, specifically his criticisms of the Israel lobby and call for Bush's impeachment on account of the Iraq War.[39] "I have been made aware of certain statements he has made which concern me," Kaine said in accepting Omeish's resignation. Kaine added that background checks would be more thorough in the future.[40]

Coal power plant

Kaine's support of a coal-fired power plant in Wise County[41] that would emit an estimated 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year was opposed by environmentalists.[42]

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