So why did Tim Kaine want to break his word? So he could violate a gentleman’s agreement between himself and Kilgore and disseminate images from the debates:
However, even Kilgore has not seen the ad– two Republicans say they were part of a focus group on which the ad was tested.
The Kaine campaign will not confirm or deny even the existence of such an ad, and it hasn’t aired on television.
The two Republican operatives–Edie Light, a Lynchburg activist and aide to Del. Preston Bryant, R-Lynchburg, and Denise McManaway of Harrisonburg, who works for the Republican Party of Virginia–said they were part of an online focus group testing a Kaine ad that used footage from the debate before the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce in September.
And yes, what precisely did “the ad” feature?
The footage in the ad reportedly comes from a testy exchange between Kilgore and moderator Tim Russert, as Russert pressed Kilgore to answer whether he would sign legislation outlawing abortion should the Supreme Court return that issue to the states.
Kilgore said it was a hypothetical question; Russert asked if he would sign or veto a tax increase. Kilgore said he’d veto one; Russert declared that had been a hypothetical question. The exchange was aired in many television news reports .
Yes, the infamous Tim Russert “gotcha” moment.
What this proves is three things:
(1) Tim Kaine has (or more accurately, his staff have) zero character.
(2) Conservatives really are rallying ’round the flag, much to the dismay of Democrats who were counting on them to stay home, and someone’s polls are reflecting that.
(3) Tim Kaine is doing everything possible to rekindle a split.
Bottom line is this: when Jerry Kilgore wins, the message to Dems will ultimately be, despite the differences between moderates and conservatives within the GOP, we are united on one principle at least — Tim Kaine will not become governor.