Why should Marshall apologize-

Kathleen Katz / How I See It
Published: March 16, 2008

Bob Marshall pointed out that Gilmore is not pro-life. Marshall noted that Jim Gilmore upholds abortion rights until the beginning of the third month of life. Gilmore serves on the Board of Directors of Barr Labs, which makes the morning after early abortion pill.

Gilmore has no one to blame but himself. He is the one who has been parading around his circle of Republican friends i.e. Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell, touting his line about being an "advocate for the sanctity of life," which clearly he is not. Gilmore's attack is backfiring; it's putting the spotlight on Marshall.

I think fear precipitated Gilmore's recent attack on Marshall. Gilmore does not have the support among the rank and file Republicans. And his support is eroding, even more rapidly since Marshall's recent victory on the steps of the Virginia Supreme Court. Marshall had challenged the 2007 law that gave authority to unelected transportation boards to tax the public. Marshall said that citizens should not be treated as bottomless ATM machines. The Supreme Court agreed with Marshall, only elected bodies can levy taxes.

Gilmore, who thought he was a shoe-in for the Republican nomination, has good reason to be nervous. Marshall and his supporters have begun enumerating all of his victories against Gov. Mark Warner, demonstrating Marshall is the more formidable candidate.

Marshall reminds voters that Warner took $317 million from the Transportation Trust fund for non-road expenses. Marshall was so infuriated that he wrote the Transportation Lock Box Constitutional Amendment to ban such raids on the transportation fund, and received unanimous support in the House, 96-0.

Marshall helps voters recall Warner's promise to never increase taxes, but within two years of his term, he increased taxes $1.5 billion (and not one cent went for transportation). Marshall has made the same promise. In 16 years, Marshall has never supported a tax increase.

Marshall is loyal to only one group: his constituents. That makes the Republican leaders mad.

One of their pet projects was the Abusive Driver Fees of 2007. Marshall voted no three times, when almost everyone else voted in favor of it. Bob Marshall has a pulse on what Virginians want.

The more Gilmore attacks him, the better because the more voters hear about Marshall the more they like him.
As an independent voter, it is clear to me why Gilmore has the jitters.

Not only does Marshall have a very good chance of winning the Republican nomination, he also has an excellent chance of beating Warner in November.

Kathleen Katz is a resident of Gainesville. She is a former Democrat turned Independent.