Former Sen. George Allen's (R-Va.) latest ad rips former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) for backing last year's bipartisan compromise on the debt ceiling, attacking him for supporting the deal's big cuts to defense spending.
"If Washington doesn't do its job, will we still have ours? Will our military still be strong? Tim Kaine supported last year’s debt deal that will impose devastating defense cuts, threatening Virginia jobs. George Allen opposed it," the ad's narrator says. "Kaine attacked him and insisted the deal was 'the right thing to do.' George Allen’s plan stops the defense cuts, creates jobs and grows our economy. George Allen knows his job is to fight for ours."
The deal, a last-minute reached between President Obama and House GOP leadership to avoid government default after conservative House Republicans blocked efforts to raise the debt ceiling, includes big cuts to both domestic and military spending. According to a nonpartisan study, if the plan goes into effect as is at the end of this year it could cost Virginia more than 200,000 jobs, making it by far the hardest hit state because of its large defense industry as well as the high number of military bases.
While Kaine supported the compromise, he's since said he wants to see the looming defense cuts replaced by other measures — and has attacked Allen for failing to lay out a concrete plan to do the same.
"George Allen was willing to let our government default on its obligations rather than join his own party's leaders in a compromise — a position that led to a downgrade of our nation's credit rating. So, it's not surprising that the ideas he's furthering make deep defense and domestic cuts, more likely, not less," said Kaine spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine. "While Tim Kaine has put forward a bipartisan, workable solution to avert this crisis, George Allen is pushing measures, like the 34th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, that would actually add to the deficit and further gridlock our government in yet another partisan battle. The last thing Virginians want is to rehash the past, which is exactly what George Allen has called for."
Allen has been hitting Kaine hard on the issue in recent weeks, and it's also become a major point of contention between Mitt Romney and Obama in the state.
The two are locked in a tight Senate race, though Kaine has had the edge over Allen in most recent polls. The two will debate Monday evening.
This post was updated at 10:24 a.m.
