Kilgore Learns the High Cost of Compromise

“You can’t make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.”

The pundits are spinning the demise of Jerry Kilgore as a defeat for conservatism and a victory for the “moderate” middle of the road. Such conclusions are based on the idea that successful campaigns appeal to so-called “swing voters” who support “reasonable” candidates from either party on a given day.

The poll numbers from Tuesday’s election tell us something entirely different, since two unapologetically pro-life, anti-tax conservative candidates fared much better than the moderated version of Jerry Kilgore. What’s interesting is that most voters didn’t know about Kilgore’s leftward drift, but that didn’t keep it from shooting him in the foot. It all started very soon after he won his first statewide race, when he began to compromise in a futile attempt to win the second.

Four years ago, Jerry Kilgore ran for Attorney General as a conservative prosecutor from Southwest Virginia, making no bones about his traditional values. Much was made of his conservative roots and hometown values, and he carried the state with sixty percent of the vote.

Unfortunately, that was then. This is now. And a whole lot has changed in just four years.

Very soon after Jerry Kilgore was sworn in as Attorney General in January of 2002, he began thinking and acting as if his next campaign was already in full swing. Members of the Attorney General’s office grumbled privately to GOP operatives that Kilgore almost immediately began making decisions in light of his chances of becoming Governor. Conservatives who heard these complaints were concerned, but hoped Kilgore’s conservative roots would prevent any collapse in his values.

Unfortunately, Jerry Kilgore’s ambitions got the best of him in his first year in office, and he adopted a new way of reaching his goal that often sold his friends down the river. Early in the second year of Kilgore’s tenure as Attorney General, the smalltown conservative from Southwest Virginia began spreading his political wings in new directions. He began to, as they say in political science classes, “reach out” to new demographic constituencies.

Here are just a few examples of Jerry Kilgore’s deeds done in the name of demographical “outreach:”

In March of 2003, six activists from the pro-homosexual “Log Cabin” club publicly engaged Jerry Kilgore on social issues at a political fundraiser in Northern Virginia. Kilgore was very complimentary of their organization, making a number of overtures that raised conservative eyebrows. For example, Kilgore promised them “his office does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation.” When asked whether or not he welcomed [people who engage in homosexuality] as part of the Republican Party, Kilgore said he did, and he “acknowledged the contribution the [Log Cabin homosexual club] has made to the Republican Party over the past few years, particularly in northern Virginia.”

In May of 2003, Jerry Kilgore shocked pro-lifers when he officially rejected the long-held belief that life begins at conception in an effort to ensure state colleges and universities could freely distribute the morning-after abortion pill to college students.

In 2003, Kilgore betrayed fiscal conservatives in Republican primary races by joining the campaign committees of liberal politicians like Sen. John Chichester (R-Fredricksburg), who proposed a greater tax increase than Democrat Governor Mark Warner within a month of the senator’s reelection.

In October of 2003, Kilgore won the praise of homosexual activists and the scorn of pro-family groups when he participated in a pro-homosexual public relations scheme by promising not to discriminate on the basis of a person’s so-called “sexual orientation.” The Family Foundation’s Victoria Cobb responded to Kilgore’s participation by saying, “Voters who have supported the Attorney General have cause to be deeply concerned and will be anticipating more clarity in the future.”

In the spring of 2005, Jerry Kilgore frustrated fiscal conservatives again when he endorsed a slate of rebellious Republican Delegates who backed the largest tax increase in Virginia history, against conservative Republicans in several districts throughout the Commonwealth.

After the 2005 primary, Kilgore violated Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment by publicly criticizing conservative GOP House member Brad Marrs for exposing the major homosexual support of his Democrat opponent. Marrs subsequently lost his reelection bid by less than 50 votes to a pro-choice, pro-tax increase Republican running as an Independent.

Although he promised to promote “a culture of life” as a candidate for Governor, Jerry Kilgore never excited Virginia’s pro-life voting block by spelling out a concrete plan of action. During a candidate debate in September, Kilgore refused to tell moderator Tim Russert of NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would sign a bill to ban abortions in Virginia. News of his response sent shock waves throughout the pro-life movement in the Commonwealth. Here is a description of the exchange between Russert and Kilgore from MSNBC.com’s web site: In that debate, Kilgore dodged what he said was a “hypothetical” question about whether he would sign a law banning abortion in Virginia. Debate moderator Tim Russert of NBC’s “Meet the Press” then asked Kilgore if he would veto a tax increase. Kilgore said yes."That’s a hypothetical question,” Russert interjected, prompting laughter from an audience that seemed largely sympathetic to Kaine. “Word of mouth among political insiders was really negative regarding Kilgore’s performance overall and his response to that one question in particular,” said [Catholic University political science professor Mark] Rozell.

In October, the Washington Post reported that Kilgore was hedging his bets on opposing new tax increases. To the dismay of fiscal conservatives in the GOP, Kilgore said he would allow Northern Virginia “and other regions” the power to raise taxes for roads. Later in the month, the conservative Virginia Club for Growth criticized Kilgore for refusing to sign a Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and demanded that he “speak out unequivocally against new taxes.” Club president Phil Rodokanakis said, “Jerry Kilgore continues to run an elusive campaign and refuses to let the voters know where he really stands on these issues.” There’s no doubt that most conservatives voted for a straight GOP ticket in Tuesday’s election. Most believed Jerry Kilgore to still be the conservative Republican from Gate City they had supported in 2001. However, some knew better.

Some knew better because they fought Jerry Kilgore on conservative issues while he occupied the Attorney General’s office. Others knew better because they fought his influence in primary battles against liberal incumbents. Still others knew better because Jerry Kilgore couldn’t muster the courage to sign a taxpayers pledge or promise to endorse a bill to protect the unborn.

Whatever the reason and whatever the number, there was a group of disgruntled conservatives who wouldn’t work or vote for a politician they would have to fight once they got him elected. Kilgore’s team dismissed those principled conservatives by saying instead they would win or lose with the “lazy” voters who would otherwise stay home. That move may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for some who were planning to hold their noses and support him despite his shortcomings. That quote certainly didn’t encourage them to lend a hand.

The rise and fall of Jerry Kilgore should serve as a model of compromise that conservative politicians should seek to avoid. A wise old adage among political types in Washington, D.C. says “You can’t make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.” It seems the Republican running at the top of Virginia’s statewide ticket this year had to learn that lesson the hard way.

Conservatives thinking of running for statewide office in the future would be wise to learn that lesson from Jerry Kilgore so they don’t have to learn it the hard way themselves.

Joe Glover, M.Div. is the President of the Virginia-based Family Policy Network.

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Jerry Kilgore, Homosexuality, and Muddy Waters: http://va.familypolicy.net/index.php?p=35

Attorney General Lauds Homosexual Recruiting Efforts Toward GOP: http://va.familypolicy.net/index.php?p=34

Pro-Family Group Calls on Attorney General to Correct Opinion: http://va.familypolicy.net/index.php?p=36

Jerry Kilgore Made Two Big Mistakes: http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-detail.php?id=10163

Kilgore refused pro-life refusal, “irritating many conservatives”: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/333qxkiq.asp

Kilgore almost immediately began making decisions in light of his chances of becoming Governor.

Too damned many elected officials get into office with only one of two agendas, staying in office at all costs or advancing their political careers and ignore the job they were elected to do.

Interesting take but I still maintain, in my professional political opinion, that Kilgore lost because he abandoned a supposedly "lost cause" Northern Virginia. A lackluster campaign in an off-year cycle dominated by bad news was destined to fail.

If you cannot motivate your base, how do you expect to motivate the legislature to pass a budget?

So what do you call Kilgore's loss for social conservatives - a Pyhrric loss?

You guys must be taking strategy lessons from the French army. :)

I agree! And then they sell us out to the highest liberal bidder, to the sounds of the swooning MSM. We are being ruled by an aristocratic politcal class that is killing this Republic.

When asked if he would veto tax increases, Kilgore responded by saying yes. Russert responded by saying "That's a hypothetical".
Laughter broke out...........

All Kilgore had to do at that moment was to say to Russert: That is NOT a hypothetical question, Mr. Russert. You of all people should know how much the democRATS like to raise taxes. Therefore, the question is NOT hypothetical.

If Kilgore has said that, he'd be the Governor today.

His campaign was abysmal. Some of the dumbest commercials ever on T.V., and far too negative.
My favorite "stupid" ad, was the one where Kilgore said: "If elected Governor, I'll bring jobs to Virginia". DUH?????

Virginia already has the 3rd LOWEST unemployment rate in the U.S.A. at 3.5%.
There are already more jobs here than there are people to fill them.

His campaign was way out of touch with reality. Although I voted for him, I was less than thrilled about it!!

Jeez, Loweez, I had no idea he was such a schmuck. My mailbox was bombarded by appeals from his campaign committee. Had I known all this I would have told them to go jump.

What is it with these people? After several decades worth of countless examples of watered-down, milquetoasted republicans cutting their own throats, so many ostensibly smart guys are unable to study recent history and realize that republicans only win when they stand on conservative principles (on the campaign trail AND in office). Craven pandering and difference-splitting simply will NOT work for republicans. Democrats are so much better at that game.

Our founding fathers made a couple of mistakes when they wrote the Constitution. First, they didn't put in term limits for politicians. Second, they didn't put in a constitutional provision for killing the politician who yearly proposes the most spending.

I hd a lengthy conversation yesterday with a friend who is a longtime conservative activist in Northern Virginia. He told me that he mobilized hundreds of volunteers last year for President Bush; this year he went to the same group of people and NONE of them would volunteer for Kilgore. Not one! The Kilgore campaign completely ignored Northern Virginia, ran on issues that actually hurt Kilgore there, and ignored people like Tom Davis and Frank Wolf who know how to win elections in NOVA. The RNC came in with its high-tech GOTV effort in the last 3 days, but their lists were so bad that some voters got 25 calls and some got none. This campaign was a disaster from start to finish. It's no surprise to me that Kilgore got his rear end handed to him.

Jeez, Loweez, I had no idea he was such a schmuck.

I've known him for over 20 years, I can tell you personally, he's not a schmuck. He ran a bad campaign. He took some bad advice. That's the extent of it.

The Joe Glovers of the world wouldn't be happy if the Apostle Paul was the candidate.

I've known him for over 20 years, I can tell you personally, he's not a schmuck. He ran a bad campaign. He took some bad advice. That's the extent of it.

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Well, the gist of the article was that he started going mushy from the moment he set his sights on the governor's office. I would like to know who he has had advising him. I know it wouldn't be the first time campaign managers and publicity flacks have been damned for ruining their candidates.

The founding fathers of Virginia DID impose term limits. At least at the Gubernatorial level.
Four years, one term, and you're out. As soon as we have a Conservative Republican Governor elected, I'd like to see that law repealed :-)

I'll go one step further. Jerry Kilgore is a great guy, and would have made a great Governor. I do NOT blame Jerry for any of this. I TOTALLY blame the idiots who ran the campaign.

The name of the head idiot is Ken Hutcheson. I blame him.
He was the Kilgore campaign manager. Only the names of Donna Brazile and Susan Estrich comes to mind for running a worse campaign!!

Some way, some how, Hutcheson managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Basically, all Kilgore had to do is smile and keep his mouth shut, and he would have won by over 200,000 votes. UNBELIEVABLE!!

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