You would expect Republican politicians to http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/250583-senate-gop-leaders-dodge-questions-on-romney-gaffe" rel="nofollow - struggle with answering questions about Mitt Romney's " http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/09/conservative-bloggers-are-losing-election/56966/" rel="nofollow - 47 percent ," conflicted between party loyalty and their http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_23/Mitt-Romneys-Incredible-Shrinking-Coattails-217709-1.html?pos=htmbtxt" rel="nofollow - own electoral welfare . But for Democrats, the answer should be easy. Not so for Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia who's running for Senate against George Allen. In a debate between Kaine and Allen Thursday, NBC News’ David Gregory asked Kaine, "Do you believe that everyone in Virginia should pay something in federal income tax?" As http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/09/20/the_ballad_of_tim_kaine_or_how_not_to_talk_about_tax_rates.html" rel="nofollow - Slate's Dave Weigel explains, Kaine struggled to answer.

Kaine: Well, everyone pays taxes! I mean, the statistics that have come out..

Gregory: I'm asking about federal income taxes.

Kaine: I would be open to a proposal that would have some minimum tax level for everyone. But I do insist, many of the 47 percent that Gov. Romney was going after pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than he does.

Oops. Now Kaine's in favor of raising taxes on poor people. It's a fairly lonely position too -- as Weigel explains, only Michele Bachmann would occasionally float the idea of poor people paying a few symbolic bucks to keep some skin in the game.