This morning, I attended Tim Kaine's post-debate rally at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, along with several hundred enthusiastic supporters. In the crowd were numerous Democratic elected officials, candidates for House of Delegates, GMU Young Democrats, bloggers, and others. The event started a bit late, which was fine since it gave me more time to chat with people like Chap Petersen, Walter Tejada, Paul Ferguson, Bruce Roemmelt, David Bulova, and numerous others. It was a blast. Anyway, on to the event...The crowd was warmed up by the GMU College Democrats' Vice President, the GMU President, and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly. The funniest comments were definitely by Chairman Connolly, who told the following joke:
Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore are placed in front of a firing squad. Thinking fast, Mark Warner yells "earthquake," and while the guys with the guns dive to the ground, Warner scrambles over the wall to safety. Then, it's Tim Kaine's turn, and thinking fast he yells "tornado!" Same thing. Now, it's down to Jerry Kilgore. Also thinking quickly, Jerry yells "fire!" Whoops.
With that, Tim Kaine bounded onto the stage, looking great and full of energy. Kaine joked that he is "one tired guy," but quickly added that he feels great ("very confident and relaxed") and gets a lot of energy from crowds and supporters like today at GMU.
On the election, Tim asserted that it's a "complete statistical dead heat" between Jerry Kilgore and him, and that "everything you do matters" over the last 4 weeks. He recalled that when this race started, the other side was "cocky and confident" because they were "8-12 points up in the polls." Now that the race has closed to a dead heat, they probably aren't feeling so cocky anymore. Why has the race tightened, in Kaine's view?
1) "Because I'm working so darn hard."
2) "Because of YOU....the greatest group of supporters any candidate has ever had."
3) Because "Virginians know a good thing when they see one, and they are happy the way the state is going." (Later, Kaine added to a reporter that if you honestly thought Virginia was worse off today than it was 4 years ago, then he wasn't your guy and you should vote for Jerry Kilgore).
Kaine reflected on the fact that just 4 years ago, the state was a complete mess after 4 years of Governor Gilmore. Schools were underfunded. Virginia was about to lose its bond rating. The economy was stalled. Partisanship was so bitter "that the Republican-controlled legislature couldn't even pass a budget." In response, Virginians figured they should let Warner and Kaine give a try at "cleaning up this mess." And that's exactly what they've done.
A report card on the last 4 years would list a number of great accomplishments for the Warner-Kaine team:
1) "Historic, bi-partisan budget reform"
2) Nearly 500,000 new jobs
3) New money for firefighters, educators, etc.
4) "Saved the AAA bond rating"
5) Being recognized as the "best managed state in America"
Another strong argument to vote for Tim Kaine, in his view, is "competent management." Does this sound boring to you? Well, after Hurricane Katrina, Kaine reminded us that it can be a life-or-death matter. That's why it's SO important not to "hand ove the keys to someone" like Jerry Kilgore.
What keeps Tim Kaine motivated in this tough job of politics? First, he has a "heart for public service," which he traces back to his missionary work in Honduras and his mentor, Jim O'Leary. Simply stated, Tim Kaine believes that "you measure your life by the difference you can make in someone else's life, not by what you can put in your pocket." This, Kaine pointed out, is a fundamental difference between Democrats - the REAL "faith and values party" - and Republicans. The bottom line is that Tim Kaine is a "public servant who has a lot more service to give," such as "invest[ing] heavily in K-12 and higher education" and being a "governor of educational excellence."
Second, Kaine said that he had "worked far too hard the last 4 years...to take the keys to the office and put them in the hands of a guy [Kilgore] who worked against us in every way." On education, diversity programs, Americans with Disaiblities Act, and much more, Kaine noted, "Jerry Kilgore was our most persistent and vigorous opponent." In fact, Kaine pointed out that Kilgore actually says he wants to "undo the DAMAGE of the Warner-Kaine years!" Unbelievable, and a strong reason why Jerry Kilgore is "not the right person to lead."
Finally, Kaine spoke powerfully of Virginia values, and what those really are. The three that Kaine listed today were "welcoming to new Americans," "we're all created equal," and "everyone can worship as they please." On all these, Kaine pointed out that Virginia has been a leader, dating back to the founding of the Commonwealth.
After his speech, Kaine worked the crowd like a rock star, signing autographs and giving interviews to TV news reporters. Then he was gone, off to his next rally and onwards to the Virginia Governor's mansion. Go Kaine!