Virginia 2005 or California 1994?

In 1994, California Gov. Pete Wilson (R) staked his reelection campaign on Proposition 187, a measure to deny public services to illegal immigrants. The strategy was extremely successful, helping Wilson to garner 55% of the vote that year alongside the 59% support won by the anti–illegal immigrant ballot measure.

During the 1994 campaign, Gov. Wilson also eagerly contrasted his strong support for the death penalty with his opponent’s (Kathleen Brown) opposition to it due to her Catholic faith. Nevermind the fact that Wilson had allowed only a handful of executions to proceed during his first term in Sacramento.

Lastly, Wilson trotted out another old reliable – painting his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal. Again, he did this despite the fact that Wilson himself had raised taxes in his first budget by $7 billion.

When Republicans lack any positive agenda, they trot out wedge issues that terrify suburban moms and inflame angry white men. They bash illegal immigrants. They stoke fear of crime. And they cast their opponents as tax-and-spend liberals. The mind-numbing simplicity and effectiveness of it are a sad commentary on the electorate. Has anything changed in the past decade? In Virginia, probably not.

Jerry Kilgore, the Republican candidate for governor, has ripped his opponent, Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, for seeking a responsible policy for dealing with illegal immigrants, personally opposing the death penalty, and pursuing reasonable tax increases to address Northern Virginia's horrendous traffic problems. It's the same garbage that has helped Republicans divide and conquer this nation for the past two decades.

Tim Kaine is an honorable man who has worked to advance civil rights, help the poor in America and abroad, and serve the public. Hopefully, Virginians will stand up to this naked attempt to wedge the voting public. You can help, too.