I had the privilege of attending of attending the ?Latinos for Kaine? rally yesterday at Poe Intermediate School in Annandale, and wanted to report my experiences. The rally was well attended; the crowd was pumped. My children and I were asked to stand on the podium, behind the candidates, so while we had a lousy view of the speakers (their backs) we could see the crowd, the signs, the TV cameras, etc.
About half way through Tim?s speech, out of the corner of my eye, I saw four teenagers, all girls, maybe 12 ? 14 wearing Kilgore?s signature orange. They had stickers and hand painted signs, and had written ?Kilgore for Governor on their faces and their clothes.? Clearly, Kilgore supporters. They stood politely and listened to the speech, did not boo or misbehave in any way.
At the end of the speeches, as is always the case in this type of events, the press surrounded the candidates; there were pictures with family members, autograph seekers and the like. In other words, organized chaos. Many supporters started leaving the cafeteria; staffers began taking down the risers and signs. But the girls did not leave. They waited, and waited and waited some more. They wanted to talk to Tim. And then he finally came to them. He greeted them graciously and heard them complaining that ?we were not treated very nicely by some of your supporters.? Tim replied that the girls had had an opportunity to hear his speech, that he did not attack anybody, that he had a positive message and that they should judge him by what he said and what he did. ?I don?t control my supporters,? he said, ?I?m sorry to hear that they were not polite.?
That's right: Tim Kaine took the time to listen to four young girls with a gripe. He listened patiently and intently, even though they supported his opponent in a bitter governor's race. These girls were not even old enough to vote!!
And there you have it, in a nutshell, one of the differences between these two candidates. Day and night. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Good and bad. Now go vote.
- Lola