Posted on 05/29/2016 6:44:16 AM PDT by randita
Editorial: Kaine would be perfect fit on Democratic ticket
Posted: Saturday, May 28, 2016 10:30 pm
1960 remains the exception that proves the rule. Vice presidential candidates seldom make a decisive difference in general elections. Lyndon Johnson’s presence on the ticket may have put John Kennedy in the White House. Johnson carried Texas for the Democrats and likely contributed their victories in Missouri and North Carolina. Without a Southern running mate, the Massachusetts senator probably would have lost to Richard Nixon.
2016 already has established itself as an idiosyncratic election. Crackpots dominated the Republican sweepstakes. The heavily favored Hillary Clinton could not put away an obscure socialist from Vermont. Speculation about the vice presidential preferences of Clinton and Donald Trump has begun. This year could reverse the typical equation. Presidential nominees often want their running mates to perform as attack dogs. Clinton and Trump suffer from extraordinarily high negative ratings. Voters do not like either.
The presidential candidates might want to pick running mates capable of softening their images. This may be the time not for the Rottweiler but for the yellow Lab.
Traditional factors will come into play, nevertheless. Presidential candidates often look for partners who will help them in specific states or regions, among crucial blocs, or who will counter perceived deficiencies. In 2008, the unknown Barack Obama picked Joe Biden, who boasted experience and establishment credentials. In 2000, George Bush choose Dick Cheney, known for his expertise regarding foreign policy and national security.
Clinton boasts extensive experience, especially in foreign policy. Her accomplishments are few. Trump is Trump. Trump’s best move is to go with someone the polar opposite of himself in every imaginable way — but more on the GOP’s unhappy prospects later. Today we focus on Clinton’s opportunity.
Virginia rates as a battleground in which Clinton enjoys an edge. Its Democratic senators (both successful governors), Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have been mentioned as vice presidential material since their arrivals in Washington. Warner’s stock might have slipped a bit after the close call in his 2014 re-election campaign against Ed Gillespie. Warner epitomizes the pragmatic centrist able to forge coalitions that cross the aisle. He does not resemble Bernie Sanders, in other words. Warner has strengths, but is not on the short list.
Kaine may be. He is truly one of the most engaging politicians in Virginia or in the nation as a whole. He has become one of the chamber’s leading spokesmen on national security. Kaine has pressed the case for congressional authorization of military intervention against the Islamic State.
For reasons that elude us, the Senate’s Republican majority has not put the war against ISIS to a vote. It prefers to criticize the Obama administration without accepting its share of responsibility. The citizenry’s contempt should be absolute. Kaine pursues an approach that is reasonable and intellectually coherent. He upholds the spirit of the Constitution. His speech at the graduation ceremonies at Virginia Military Institute expressed the virtues VMI embodies.
On economics, Kaine stands in the Democratic mainstream, which is not far from the nation’s preferences. He subscribes neither to supply-side economics nor to socialism. He seems comfortable with an inheritance of a legacy associated with Franklin Roosevelt that served the United States well for several decades. The economics of John Maynard Keynes is not antagonistic to capitalism or to liberty itself. Although we subscribe to a more libertarian approach, we do not consider Kaine an enemy of the American system. He is a liberal on social issues. His stance aligns him with popular trends. He would elevate the campaign’s tone. His fluency in Spanish is a plus. Every politician — and citizen — has flaws, but Kaine’s are not disabling. He lacks anger.
A Democratic ticket with Kaine on the second line would appeal not only to Democrats but to independents and even to Republicans disaffected by Trump. He would make Virginia a safe bet for Democrats and would appeal to voters in Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and other battlegrounds.
Absolutely no bias shown in that editorial.
He upholds the spirit of the Constitution.
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No sarcasm tag?
Kaine, like every other Democrat and most Republicans continues to support open borders and no enforcement against fraudulently documented foreigners.
The primary purpose of the Constitution is the protection of the citizens.
Not illegal aliens.
Ministry of Propaganda at work
Milquetoast ........
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Yup, someone Hilly can easily control and as boring as she is. Then again, his weird eyebrow might be ‘too much’ for Hilly.
http://richmondbizsense.com/2008/09/10/governor-kaine%e2%80%99s-wandering-eyebrow-now-on-t-shirts/
Kaine is popular in VA.
If its close he could help Hillary carry the state and it balances the ticket from a geographical standpoint.
He would be a good fit for her.
Fat old establishment turd.
Like a male Hillary only without the gift for lying and thievery.
Well, in fairness, editorials are supposed to be biased, aren’t they?
Exactly.
He would bring Purple VA in play.
I don’t know who else can do that for Hillary.
She needs to move as close to the center as possible.
Sounds like a great pick. Minorities will stay home, Bernie supporters will stay home and Virginia may be lost to her anyway because of the ongoing scandal involving McAuliffe and his Chinese bosses.
Agree. This is no time for another Harvard liberal. Harvard has contributed greatly to the demise of the United States through both the Presidency and Supreme Court. We need to stop electing these elites who have no practical experience in the real world.
Its the only Southern state Hillary could pick up.
If she can hold onto the remaining states Obama won in 2012, she would be set.
However, if its not close, a VP pick would make no real difference as people vote for the guy at the top of the ticket.
Kaine is a carpetbagger with a perpetual smirk on his face. He thinks Delaware is a neighbor bordering state.
KAINE: Well, first, Joe [Biden] comes from a state, Delaware, that borders Virginia. The eastern shore part of Virginia and Delaware are not only bordering but very, very similar. And I think there’s a lot in common, and Joe understands that.
This from the then Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
It’s that whole Delmarva thing.
So send her a memo.
What makes you think the woman would listen to me?
She has a history of bad judgment.
42 miles on US 13 from New Church to Delmar, a little less as the crow flies.
Being on the same peninsula does not constitute sharing a border. I was born on Chincoteague, Accomack Co., Va, I am familiar with the geography.
That is a far cry from obeying his sworn promise to "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." ....besides what self-respecting person/politician would want to be Hillary's VP?
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