When I fist learned that Hillary has picked Tim Kaine for VP, my initial reaction was disappointment. Then I asked myself why I was disappointed, and had to admit that I don’t really know anything about him, except that many Bernie supporters don’t like him. So I decided to see what I can learn before I knee jerk. The following piece was written by Krystal Ball, a Bernie Supporter from VA, who used to appear on MSNBC’s The Cycle.
Like a lot of Virginians, I’ve had to chuckle a bit at the way Virginia Senator Tim Kaine has been portrayed since rising to the top of Secretary Clinton’s VP short list. Apparently, the gods of conventional wisdom have decided Kaine is a “boring,” “safe,” “centrist” pick whose “DINO” positions may make him anathema to the Sanders base. Oh really? Because I can assure you as a native Virginian, this caricature doesn’t at all fit the man I’ve watched over nearly 20 years. In fact, the consistent knock on him in every election in Virginia has been that he was too liberal! This was such an issue that when Kaine was elected Lieutenant Governor under Mark Warner in 2001, Warner used their first joint press conference to distance himself from the controversial, left-leaning Kaine. So before you allow the national media topline and Kaine’s status as a white Southern man to lull you into a quick judgment, here are a few things you should know about why this Bernie broad loves Tim Kaine.
Kaine is the son of a welder who graduated from a Jesuit high school, flew through University of Missouri and then landed at Harvard Law. While his classmates were hanging out in Cambridge fielding offers from big firms, Kaine took a year off to do mission work in Honduras where he worked with young boys growing up in brutal poverty. The year abroad left him fluent in Spanish and with a deep commitment to using his Harvard law degree for the public good. After law school he made good on his commitment to service and rather than cashing in on his degree, spent much of his legal career fighting against housing discrimination. Now you just tell me, does that sound like the bio of a chamber-backed, blue dog, corporate Dem?
Ahh but perhaps Kaine abandoned all his lofty principles in a quest for political power in a conservative Southern state! If that’s your concern, perhaps you should just ask the NRA how they feel about Tim Kaine. Here’s how his elections in Virginia typically go: the NRA gives him an F rating, fear mongers about how he’s going to take everyone’s guns, spends massively against him, and then Tim goes on to win anyway. Keep in mind, the NRA is literally headquartered in Virginia. If they are powerful anywhere they are powerful in the Old Dominion but that didn’t stop Kaine from signing an executive order following the Virginia Tech massacre to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. It also didn’t stop him from pushing additional gun control measures as governor like eliminating the gun show loophole and it hasn’t stopped him as Senator from continuing to lead the charge for sensible rules like increased background checks. As someone who ran for Congress, in Virginia, I can tell you that perhaps the definition of political courage for a Southern Dem is willingness to buck the gun lobby. Tim Kaine has been unflinching.
Maybe though, Kaine was able to be bold on guns because he was right of center on everything else. Yeah, not so much. In Virginia, Kaine raised taxes, spearheaded efforts for universal pre-K, made Virginia the first Southern state to ban smoking in public places, and consistently opposed the death penalty. Let me repeat that last one. Tim Kaine consistently opposed the death penalty in a state that trails only Texas in number of executions. As governor, he bucked the prevailing law and order winds and vetoed eight different bills that would have expanded capital punishment. The issue was front and center in his gubernatorial race but he stuck to the Catholic values that have guided his life and never backed down… [emphasis added]
From <The Huffington Post>
In spite of his Catholic background, Planned Parenthood rates his voting record at 100% Now, I’m not going to base my opinion of this man on one author, but Krystal is in a better position to know than any of the people I’ve heard denigrating him. I urge you to click through for the rest. Perhaps Tim Kaine may be a good choice after all.
14 Responses to “Is Kaine so Bad?”
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Everything I have read about Tim Kaine – and I have read a lot – has shown him to be highly progressive, and that on every issue except one. It has been said that he favors deregulating banks. Now, that is a big one. But I really have no evidence that he believes that, I have just read the assertion. And particularly these days, with all the lies floating around, I wouldn't hang a dog on an assertion (as the old saying goes). Also, you know, that particular issue is not in the Vice President's job description. If you strongly want banks regulated (and I do), you ahould be more worried about the Senate, and if possible, the House. I'm with you, Tom. Educate yourself before you form a dogmatic opinion.
Seems like she made a good choice with her VP. I hope that with both of them on board, that we can win, to get them into the WH.
[1] Kaine was a very solid choice with a long list of progressive accomplishments as well as respect from the other side of the aisle, making working w/ Congress easier
[2] Hillary was clearly beside herself with delight yesterday – a good sign
[3] His speech yesterday was stellar! He hit that sucker so far out of the park they're still looking for the ball
[4] Political purity is a fool's errand
(Glad to see that Debbie Wasserman Shultz will be leaving)
For another take on Mr. Kaine, please browse http://www.stonekettle.com/2016/07/the-decider.html……..the man is no fool and quite the progressive….and the complete opposite of Donald Trump!!
Thanks, Judi, for this link. I read it and just spent 20 minutes reading other articles. I like this blog.
Thanks, Judi!
In Bypassing Warren As VP, Clinton Raises Risk Of Losing To Trump
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/in-bypassing-warren-as-vp-clinton-raises-risk-of-losing_us_5792a9ede4b0e002a3133fc4
Hillary Clinton Does Not Understand Her Own Supporters
She just pointlessly poked them in the eye.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-kaine-pick_us_579275d0e4b01180b52ef48f
I disagree with this article, especially after reading the one TC posted. I have family members who live in Virginia. I talked to them today, they love Kaine, and they have the same political leanings as those of us on this blog.
Since the Reich on the left is always right:
Robert Reich: Does Hillary Get It?
Tim Kaine is as vanilla middle as you can get.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/robert-reich-does-hillary-get-it?akid=14466.953895.jw_cqz&rd=1&src=newsletter1060736&t=14
I didn't know much about Kaine, either. Thanks for the post. He sounds good to me. I clicked on the link Judi shared and it has further info about Kaine.
If you knew little about Kaine, TomCat, it will come as no surprise that I didn't know him at all 😉 I still know very little about the man so I reserve judgment until I know more about him. But your article has put me on track, so thank you. I'll do a bit more reading, while making sure where the information is coming from when not from PP. America's politics AND media are a minefield these days.
Sounding good to me!
The irony is that were Tim Kaine running for President, I would probably vote for him. I will not, however, vote for Hillary under any circumstances; she's as bad as Trump (just bad in a different way). Neither candidate represents my values, and neither candidate is committed to stopping or even slowing our inexorable slide into climate chaos. I left the Green Party to support Bernie in Oregon's closed primary, and shall now be returning to the Green Party forthwith. Dr. Jill Stein is the candidate that does represent my values, and it is she that will get my vote.