“Happy” three-year anniversary, Tim Kaine! “Love,” the Republican Party of Virginia.
The Republican Party of Virginia on Monday “celebrated” the three-year anniversary of President Obama’s appointing U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee — a position the former Virginia governor resigned in April.
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Republicans hit Mr. Kaine on his ties to policies coming out of Washington and called on him to take a position on Mr. Obama’s recent recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board.
“Tim Kaine has signed onto most if not all of that agenda coming out of the White House,” said Delegate Ben Cline, Rockbridge Republican, pointing out that the president’s health care overhaul will “blow a $2.2 billion hole in our budget.”
“We are going to be struggling to be meeting our Medicaid responsibilities,” said Delegate Brenda L. Pogge, Newport News Republican. “We still don’t know everything that’s in it or what the final cost is going to be — these are estimates.”
As for the recess appointments of Democratic nominees Sharon Block and Richard Griffin to the NLRB, the legislators pushed for Mr. Kaine to take a stand on the issue. The move last week was largely seen as a victory for unions and is one that has been pilloried by Republicans. Mr. Obama also appointed Terence F. Flynn, a Republican member, to the NLRB board and Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Sen. Mark Obenshain, Harrisonburg Republican, said Mr. Kaine owes it to Virginians to “speak loudly and clearly” on the subject.
“If he means what he says, he’s got to stand up and say, ‘President Obama, you’re wrong and these recess appointments cannot stand,’” said Mr. Obenshain.
Kaine spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said the governor supports Virginia’s right-to-work laws, upheld the law as governor and will continue to support states’ rights to establish their own rules on the matter.
As for the recess appointments, Ms. Hoffine said his preference was for the Senate to take prompt action, but that the chamber had “abdicated its responsibility.”
“The president has chosen to use recess appointments to overcome Senate dysfunction, just as Republican and Democratic presidents before him have done,” she said. “George Allen supported this practice as a senator, so his current attacks ring hollow.”
There were seven appointees to the NLRB during recess when Mr. Allen was in the U.S. Senate.
