Let’s Do The Time Warp
by digby
Tim Kaine, the Virginia governor and President Barack Obama’s hand-picked choice as the head of the Democratic National Committee, infuriated abortion-rights groups Monday by signing legislation that gives abortion foes an important symbolic win.
Kaine brushed off intense lobbying by abortion rights supporters in Richmond to sign a bill that allows Virginia motorists to advertise their anti-abortion views by sporting “Choose Life” specialty license plates.
[…]
Kaine defended the move by pointing out that Virginia has a “long-standing program” allowing customized license plates and said that if Planned Parenthood applied for a plate he would grant it.
“I sign this legislation today in keeping with the Commonwealth’s longtime practice of approving specialty plates with all manner of political and social messages,” Kaine said in a statement.
“Furthermore, if Planned Parenthood—an organization that is already a recipient of state budget funds—or another similar organization ever chooses to seek a specialty license plate in Virginia, I believe the Constitution would require the state to approve that plate to protect against any viewpoint discrimination.”
I wonder what the chance is that Plannet Parenthood could get a bill through the legislature that says “Choose Condoms.” Not much, I’d guess.
Kaine is being too clever by half and it’s really unfortunate. (He’s apparently going to ban stem-cell research in Virginia too.) There’s absolutely no good political reason for the head of the Democratic Party to advance the conservative movement’s social agenda right now. It seems strangely anachronistic in this new era and gives gro0und at a time when it’s completely unnecessary. In fact, it’s lame on all levels.