Video: Tim Kaine Talks “Common Ground” on News8; George Allen Afraid to Appear on Show

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Kaine for Virginia Press Office
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Richmond, VA – Today, in an interview with News Channel 8’s Bruce DePuyt, Tim Kaine discussed important issues facing Virginia including his plan to avoid sequestration, strategies to spur economic growth and job creation, and his track record and approach to finding common ground in Washington.
 
In discussing how to find compromise to get results for Virginians, Kaine harkened back to lessons he learned as governor and major accolades that were earned – Forbes' Best State for Business, Education Week's best state to raise a child, and Governing magazine's Best Managed State – by remaining committed to working with members on both sides of the aisle.
 
“We’ve gotta have people who know how to compromise. You know, compromise is almost a dirty word these days, but to fix the problems of the nation we’ve gotta have Democrats and Republicans who are willing to find common ground and work together," said Kaine. "For six of my eight years as a statewide official—lieutenant governor and governor—I had two Republican houses…And we won all those accolades I mentioned earlier not because of me, but because we could work together. I think I have the ability to just be one more voice in the Senate as part of the bridge-building caucus. And we need more bridge-builders right now."
 

 
Kaine told DePuyt that as Congress has become increasingly dysfunctional, he hears from Virginians from all regions who tell him that sending leaders to Washington who know how to work together is the most important thing this year to get the economy back on track and balance the budget.
 
"Again and again, I hear three questions: How do we accelerate the economy? How do we fix the budget? And how do we find common ground? And of the three, it’s the last one that comes up the most because people in Virginia, they have a very clear understanding, if our ideas are perfect, but an R idea won’t get any D votes and a D idea won’t get any R votes, then who cares if our ideas are good,” said Kaine. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in the Senate when there was a Gang of 14 ten years ago to break Senate logjams, John Warner was right in the middle of it. And when there’s a Gang of 6 today to break logjams, Mark Warner’s right in the middle of it. It was a good trait of John Warner and Mark Warner’s but it was also a tribute to the fact that they understood that’s what Virginians expect of a leader, especially in the Senate. Be part of the bridge-building crew, not part of the overly partisan crew.”