I wasn’t for Sen. Kaine’s selection as VP, at all. I didn’t even see him as the best “Kaine” of the Kaine type (i.e. boring, experienced, supposedly safe, centrist). And so I absolutely didn’t get why he’d risen to the top of the list. I didn’t want a supposedly “safe” pick, but even in that group there were even safer and more centrist and more boring ones — so what on Earth was the point of Kaine, a current Senator whose seat we’d have to defend twice in two years if he won?
Well...the Miami speech showed that he wasn’t picked to be the “safe” and “boring” type many of his proponents were arguing for; and he won’t be that on the trail. If Kaine had come out and given a speech designed to appeal to centrist white guys, we’d still have a major problem on the politics of the selection. But that’s not what we got, quite purposefully. We got a masterful Happy Progressive Warrior, not a Safe Centrist White Guy. We got a Happy Progressive Warrior in his biography, policy emphasis, political experience, rhetorical skill, and personal character.
The topics emphasized and presentation style showed that Kaine was picked as the VP nominee specifically to use his biography and experience to highlight progressive platform issues of immigration, gun control, and civil rights — NOT as a “safe” and “boring” appeal to centrist white males. And that matters a great deal, it really cannot be overstated. It changes the rationale and changes the calculus.
And during the Miami speech we learned something else that should give anyone with concerns about Kaine’s selection an easy night’s sleep. Kaine was 100% more natural and engaging today than I’ve seen him before. Serious issues I had about his presentation style are erased. He’s proven himself a capable vehicle for talking about his own bio and experience — the presentation-related arguments against him yesterday are not there today. If he can keep weaving his bio and experience into the politics at this level he’ll have proven himself a very, very, very, smart choice.
So, sure, there are some very centrist policy sets in there. and I would like to hear a little more (not a reversal, just more of his rationale) on some of the banking/trade stuff.
But we’re not being sold a DLC/Third Way 1990’s-era “safe” and “conservative” white guy here. That is not the Kaine we’re getting, and not the Kaine that Clinton wants. THIS Kaine is better than the Vilsacks and the Hickenloopers. THIS Kaine can rival Elizabeth Warren, albeit on a different set of issues. The speech proved that. Kaine’s role on the campaign is NOT going to be centrism, as many feared. It’s to more strongly push for some of the more progressive parts of the platform, using his upgraded presentation ability to talk about his bio and experience.
Ecstatic at the choice, the rollout speech, and the Clinton’s campaign’s wise framing and utilization of Kaine.