A Texas Take on Tim Kaine

By: Lowell
Published On: 7/30/2008 3:15:52 PM

For those of you that aren't aware, Burnt Orange Report is one of the best state blogs in the country, part of the Soapblox network like RK, and strong progressives like us. They are also excellent reporters and political analysts like by Philip Martin. With that, I strongly recommend that you check out their  perspective on Tim Kaine by Philip.  

Remember -- I started watching this video not liking Kaine. I already didn't like him because he (and his staff) were surprisingly and unnecessarily pushy backstage at the TDP convention (where I was volunteering). After reading about his policies, I liked him even less. Suffice to say, I'm really, really unexcited about any prospects of him as Vice President.

But if the only measuring stick is, "how good of a stump candidate for Vice President" would Kaine be, I'd have to say excellent. He can speak in Spanish, delivers red-meat to the base without becoming too partisan or overshadowing Obama, and can honestly tell a real-life story of flipping conservative states red-to-blue.

He's one of the worst choices for anyone who cares about policy, but is a damn good choice for anyone who only cares about politics.

Fascinating, and "spot on" in my opinion.  Also, check out the video referenced above of Tim Kaine speaking at the Texas Democratic Party Convention in early June.  

Comments



So basically (Chris Guy - 7/30/2008 3:53:45 PM)
A guy who doesn't like Kaine just made a great argument for Obama to pick him, imo.

I like this analysis because the "freakout" on the left over Kaine is getting to be stupid in my opinion. Dick Cheney has totally warped people's perception of what a VP typically is. He's the surrogate-in-chief, not a Co-President.

Besides: Quayle vs. Bentsen...who won that election? Exactly.



I'm afraid I have to ask, why does Obama feel so comfy (hcc in va - 7/30/2008 4:21:09 PM)
with a guy whose policies we in the progressive community deplore?  Well, if this community "only cares about politics" over policy, then I'm in the wrong place.  


Obama will be a gazillion times better (Lowell - 7/30/2008 4:56:25 PM)
than John McLame.  Hopefully, Obama will serve two fantastic terms as president, and his VP - whoever he or she is - will go to a lot of funerals for foreign dictators.


It depends (spotter - 7/30/2008 5:00:12 PM)
  I guess it depends which policies you're talking about.  You may disagree with Tim Kaine on environmental policy, but that's not all, or even the most important thing, a Governor does.

 This is Virginia.  We have had some truly terrible governors.  Tim Kaine's probably the second or third best since I've lived here.  I would have to say, unfortunately, that Doug Wilder was one of the worst.  So maybe we just need a little perspective here.



Personality (tx2vadem - 7/30/2008 5:01:27 PM)
You can absolutely adore someone and not agree with their policy views.  And how well you get along with someone impacts your working relationship.  And then there is also the issue of effectiveness and what you plan to employ this person to do.  If they are a great surrogate and that's what you are looking for, why quibble over policy stuff when you will be making the policy decisions?


There's a hitch in the "politics" argument, though (code - 7/30/2008 4:21:36 PM)
It's going to be tough for Kaine to stand up and provide a "real life red-to-blue" story when the looming follow-up question will no doubt be: "Gov. Kaine, aren't you abandoning VA to Republican state-level control by running for VP?"


... (corinthian - 7/30/2008 6:06:12 PM)
The netroots left will never be happy with anything. Sure, ideological purity is nice, but hardline liberalism won't win over the rest of the country. Think of the picture Kaine paints for the average voter who barely follows national politics, much less the politics of a state other than their own. Moderate, democrat in republican state, good personal story, religious. He's no rockstar, but the ticket doesn't need two of them.


Kaine for VP (agscribe - 7/30/2008 6:32:50 PM)
Lowell, you really ought to change the name of this to dumpingkaine.com. How fickle is American politics.
Jim Webster (Kaine enthusiast)


Not "flckle" at all (Lowell - 7/30/2008 6:48:28 PM)
In 2005, we strongly supported Tim Kaine over Jerry Kilgore. Since then, Kaine has taken a series of policy positions that we strongly disagree with, and as we are an independent progressive blog, we have expressed those disagreements respectfully but forcefully.  As to Barack Obama, I personally plan on supporting him no matter who he picks as his running mate.  Also, I personally like Tim Kaine, I simply disagree with him - big time - on a long list of issues. What's "fickle" about that?


"The netroots left will never be happy..." (Lowell - 7/30/2008 7:01:33 PM)
A few points.

1. I'm not sure what you mean by "netroots left," but I personally am very pragmatic, a former Teenage Republican and huge Teddy Roosevelt fan. I am definitely not "left," except insofar as I am to the left of the extremist right-wing Republican Party of today.  The bottom line for me is that I want Democrats to win first and foremost, and a close second behind that goal is to elect as many strongly progressive voices as possible.

2. We here at RK - and in the blogosphere more broadly, I think it's fair to say - are VERY happy with Barack Obama as our nominee.  We worked our butts off for him, and personally, I'm thrilled that he's going to be our next President!  Other things we've been happy about here at RK in recent years: Jim Webb beating George Allen, taking back the U.S. Senate in 2006, Chap Petersen beating Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, the Democrats taking back the State Senate, Donald McEachin's victory over "Benedict" Lambert, the defeat of the "abuser fees" (in large part because of an online petition started by a netroots activist and heavily promoted here), etc., etc.

3. The issues we have with Kaine don't break down neatly along traditional labels - "moderate," "conservative," "liberal," etc.  For instance, is it "liberal" to oppose the Wise County coal-fired power plant and want to stop global warming?  Last I checked, "creation care" conservatives and a lot of moderates were concerned about the environment too.  Is it "liberal" to oppose a no-bid deal to Bechtel?  You mean, "moderates" like that?  Is it "liberal" to want a smart-growth-friendly tunnel in Tysons, not an unwise "aerial option?"  I was at the TysonsTunnel meeting the other night, and the speakers included both Democrats (e.g., Chap Petersen, John Foust) and Republicans (e.g., Jim Hyland, Keith Fimian). Is it "liberal" to support embryonic stem cell research, when the American people favor it by wide margins?  Is it "liberal" to dislike balkanizing the state into regional tax authorities?  Is it "liberal" to oppose abusive driving fees?  Etc., etc.