Today’s Washington Post slams Kilgore and his new “Hitler” ad. I’ve edited this for brevity, since y’all don’t need the back story, and bolded for emphasis:
Four weeks before Election Day, the campaign for governor in Virginia has reached a new level of nastiness. As strategists for Republican nominee Jerry W. Kilgore promised nearly a year ago, they are trying to make the death penalty…the centerpiece of the race as it enters the homestretch. But their chosen method…is loathsome.
[…]
[T]he insinuation that court-appointed lawyers for death row inmates are morally remiss is off the mark. In fact, lawyers who agree to do defense work in capital cases are critical to ensuring that justice is carried out.
Nor is the comment about Hitler on target.
[…]
[T]o use Mr. Kaine’s courtroom work as an appointee of the state Supreme Court is beyond the pale. That work should be lauded as a public service, not smeared by Mr. Kilgore.
The Post is right, of course. And every major paper in the state could editorialize similarly — and I expect that they may well do so — but Kilgore’s “Hitler” ad will be seen by a lot more people than will read those editorials. There’s no question that Tim Kaine is in the right here. But being right doesn’t win elections.
I played Kilgore’s voice at a party last week. Lots of people gathered around and were interested because they didn’t know much about state politics and hadn’t given the governor’s race much thought. Unfortunately for Kilgore, It took me about 20 minutes to convince everyone that this was actually his voice and not some parody on the internet. I think some people still don’t believe that it was his voice.
I guess that’s a big plus for Kilgore – most people can’t even believe that his voice sounds so ridiculous, they just think it’s a dirty trick played by Kaine using computer editing.
Did the court drag Kaine, kicking and screaming, into the courtroom to handle the death sentence appeals? This editorial seems to indicate that was how Kaine got involved.
I’m with Publius here. The way I heard about it was very different than the light this editorial shines upon it. Where would I be able to read up on his more controversial cases?