Jerry Kilgore's challenge

Republicans are still trying to recover from the defection of some of their members last spring to the anti-taxpayer side of the aisle.

Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform recently demanded that Attorney General Jerry Kilgore distance himself from pro-tax delegates and senators during next year’s legislative campaigns. Norquist’s challenge underlines the poisonous legacy of Republicans betraying their principles.

As many of us predicted at the time, virtually all of the credit for ending the state’s trumped up “budget crisis” has gone to Gov. Mark Warner. According to the most recent Commonwealth poll, 58 percent of Virginians give Warner a “good” or “excellent” job rating. Even taking into account the fact that Warner’s tax increases have not yet started to hurt, it is clear that Warner, to date, continues to reap benefits from his administration’s fraudulent actions last spring.

Republicans who broke ranks with the taxpayers have gained nothing for themselves, or for their party, but a lot of bad feelings. The Kilgore-Norquist set-to is evidence of this, and, along with the Commonwealth poll, an indication that next year’s race for governor is going to be tough.

Two weeks ago, Norquist unveiled a “Virginia’s Least Wanted” poster, with the names and faces of General Assembly Republicans who voted for tax increases. Norquist expressed his demand that Kilgore not endorse or appear with the legislators who voted for higher taxes. Norquist stated: “The taxpayers need to hear from Mr. Kilgore whose team he is on; the taxpayers’ or the tax spenders’. There is no middle ground.”

This last statement is simply not correct; there is plenty of middle ground. And different people have to occupy different parts of that ground.

Let’s begin with the basics. First, Republicans do not need to look around for enemies. Republicans, and taxpayers, have a sworn enemy in the Governor’s Mansion. Warner was willing to lie about Virginia’s fiscal health to get more money. There is an important moral distinction between the liar and those who failure was falling for the lie.

Second, Virginia Republicans do not have to begin within their own ranks to clean out the pro-taxers in Richmond. While some Republicans voted for tax increases, virtually all of Richmond’s Democrats did. A united Republican effort against Democrats is preferable to civil war, and much more likely to lower the number of taxers. At the same time, electing more Republicans is likely to mean electing younger, more conservative Republicans, isolating the “least wanted” pro-tax crowd within the Republican Party.

What should Kilgore’s role be in this process? The most important thing that Kilgore can do, and Virginia Republicans can do, is to succeed in next year’s statewide elections. For Kilgore, this means stating unequivocally that 2004’s tax increases were a mistake, and that he, as governor, would never have requested them, nor signed them into law.

In addition, Kilgore, as the likely nominee for governor, has to exercise leadership within the Republican Party. Such leadership rarely consists of ostracizing the party’s elected officials. Private groups, like Norquist’s, and individual Republican Party members may choose to do so, and many no doubt will refuse to work for pro-tax Republicans next year.

Politicians work for their constituents; we are their bosses. We have the right to threaten electoral retribution for betrayal. It is appropriate for us to do so. It is not appropriate for Jerry Kilgore to do so. The delegates and senators do not work for him. Republicans, unlike Democrats, do not think of elected officials as people who can order others around. Kilgore’s job is to enlighten, to persuade, and to unite. He cannot do so if he is not in contact.

Furthermore, having known Jerry Kilgore for close to a decade, I know that personal loyalty is important to him. It would be completely out of character for Kilgore to sever relationships with otherwise loyal Republicans, even after an error as grievous as that which Virginia’s “least wanted” committed. However, as laudable as personal loyalty is, loyalty to principle is more important. Kilgore can express disagreement with pro-tax Republicans even while endorsing them. He must do so, in clear language.

Finally, Kilgore will have his hands full campaigning for himself next year. He won’t have much opportunity to campaign for anyone apart from his own efforts. And make no mistake; this undesirable situation is exactly what Warner wanted, and what the “least wanted” handed to him on a silver platter. (Even worse, they used our silver!)

The task of punishing the “least wanted” and replacing them with courageous conservatives rests just where it ought to: with rank and file Republicans. Rank and file Republicans must take this responsibility on themselves (another fine conservative principle) and decide where there are opportunities to win primaries and, in some cases, even to sit out a race in the general election. Only in this way can rank and file Republicans achieve the desired outcome: a Republican governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, backed by a conservative Republican General Assembly.

Anything else only helps Warner and the Democrats.