I'm taking my title from an article I read earlier today - How Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine Lost His Progressive Mojo. The author looks at "Kaine’s deft transition from ultra-liberal to solid moderate without blinking an eye."
It's an interesting analysis and points to a ubiquitous, ever-serious problem for progressive voters.
In an early 'graph, author Frank Kilgore (posting at Daily Yonder), points to recent specific complaints about Kaine's performance regarding the environment:
Perceived as Virginia’s most liberal governor, Kaine kept his pro-business promise, even to the extent of re-appointing a member to the state water control board who had been cited twice for violating the state’s clean water laws he was sworn to uphold. Next, Kaine fully embraced a new coal fired power plant in the Virginia coalfields and stood firm as his liberal base accused him of being owned by the power plant applicant, a slave of coal.
For this and other grievances, Kilgore posits that Kaine-for-VP hopes are fading:
Kaine most likely killed any chances he had at being tapped as Obama’s vice-presidential running mate due to his unbending loyalty to perceived polluters and big business. He has also alienated wide swaths of independents. They are finding themselves fairly shocked at him for first embracing the bad driver penalties that affected only Virginians, then at his audacity to recommend higher gas taxes at a time when many working class people can barely afford to drive to and from their jobs.
All in all, Kaine has strayed from one bad policy decision to another, alienating various bases of support without reaping much political capital or securing tangible results along the way. His victory over a traditional conservative Republican could be a playbook for Obama as he follows the same path of winning the nomination by being liberal and pursuing the general election by adopting moderate to conservative viewpoints.
Or, Kaine could serve as a lesson for progressives to call out Obama early and often through liberal media and blog sources, to prevent their candidate from being "Kained" by corporate America and hemmed in by what they believe to be an uninspired political middle.
I live within a few miles of the proposed new coal-powered power plant and had a front-row seat to all the hype. It wasn't just Kaine - every 'wing' of both Democratic and Republican parties was behind the power plant in sw VA. Local Dems, from Congressman Rick Boucher to the lowest-ranked county supervisor, may occasionally pay lip service to progressive policies re: the environment but when (power plant) push came to shove on the ground, they fell into lockstep with all of the main lobbying camps, e.g., railroads and utilities and coal and the many pro-capitalist boosters who dangle 'incentives' for new industry investment.
Bottom line: progressive 'mojo' isn't relevant at the rural level where locally-specific factors, especially economics, tend to regularly trump environmental or social justice concerns. If Obama picks Kaine for his VP, will progressives react negatively? Or will we fall into lockstep and pray that things will get better for us somewhere, sometime, down the road?
I remember thinking the very same thing in 2000 when Gore picked Lieberman... sigh!
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ON TO TOP COMMENTS - yeah, that's the reason we're all here! First up, comments sent to our TC e-mail inbox: TopComments AT gmail DOT com Anyone can submit deserving comments to our address — the direct link to a comment is available from that comment's date/time — as long as they arrive by 9:30pm Eastern Time. Please always include your Daily Kos user name in the body of your message, so we can credit you properly. Both link and username are important.
If you saw any great comments that are not mentioned here, please link to them in your own comments below.
From MooseHB:
My nominee: Were McCain a Democrat by happy camper.
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From Horsefeathers:
John McCain grapples with the nightmare of Obama's popularity in triviums' hilarious rewrite of a classic Cole Porter tune: Barack, You're Under My Skin.
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From Land of Enchantment:
From the 2nd annual Netroots Nation shoe diary, N in Seattle gets sensible with clammyc.
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Submitted by cn4st4datrees:
SteamPunkX does a little word association in Auntie Neo Kawn's diary about Bob Novak's run-in with a pedestrian.
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Submitted by N in Seattle:
In oxfdblue's splendid diary Obama's Message at Yad Vashem, plf515 wrote an astonishing, heartfelt, comment about a wrenchingly emotional moment he witnessed on that same memorial site. It left me breathless in its depth of meaning and symbolism.
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From noweasels:
weasel on yet one more reason why McCain must be wishing he could have given that speech on that oil rig.
Oh, I know I shouldn't, but this response (topic: troll fonts) from Jyrinx was hilarious.
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From Mike the Liberal:
On possible McCain picks for VP, ready on day one? This would be similar to Bush-Cheney... by arodb.
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My own picks:
Another reaction to Bob Novak's car vs. the pedestrian, why the hurry? Because dawn was coming by Nespolo - ;-)
Obama is a superhero: Obama's done more in Iraq in 3 days then by Obamacrat.
Love TC, really? Off Topic, But Holy Crap on a Stick! by CityLightsLover.
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TOP MOJO! - thanks, sardonyx.
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and Cheers and Jeers:
1) the full interview was online this afternoon by JakeDalton — 230
2) mccain doubles down on the comment too by zeke L — 226
3) The media is starting to pay attention by smash artist — 207
4) Video comparison right HERE by masterp23 — 191
5) Post Hoc by Ray Radlein — 172
6) Just for historical completeness... by EquationDoc — 171
7) Because dawn was coming by Nespolo — 149
8) Desparation. by TomP — 128
9) I thought he is upset over lack of media coverage by karpaty lviv — 113
10) I could not stand Couric by anotherCt Dem — 110
11) A thank you to Mr. Payne by GenXProgress — 108
12) Was Novak drinking or on drugs? by FishOutofWater — 97
13) That is the fundamental moral by TomP — 97
14) McCain got a few BOOS today by JFinNe — 95
15) Like I said before by Muzikal203 — 92
16) Couric gone? Now that's change you can believe in by LearningCurve — 89
17) That is a key point by SanJoseLady — 85
18) TomP,if youread the really demoralizing . . . by nyceve — 84
19) Thank you for remembering this key point by Dallasdoc — 82
20) And they accuse Obama of being stubborn? by turneresq — 81
21) How will John McCain stand up to the terrorists by smash artist — 80
22) Lara Logan on TDS by TrueBlueMajority — 80
23) It's not about McCain being stubborn by batgirl71 — 78
24) Al you've outdone yourself this time by turneresq — 77
25) Like telling Obama to go to Iraq. by Inland — 76
26) McCain's most outrageous quote by gabie — 75
27) But... by RichM — 75
28) It would have by logsol — 75
29) Novak is to pedestrians by SteamPunkX — 74
30) You mean, why would CBS cover... by khereva — 72
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tips by turneresq — 851
2) Sorry I can't be around to chat by Auntie Neo Kawn — 439
3) Tips/Recs by Hope Reborn — 427
4) For Obama's great uncle by beachmom — 422
5) Lara Logan Rocks by Hope Reborn — 394
6) tip jar here by slinkerwink — 308
7) Instead of tips by Sven at My Silver State — 292
8) Take a listen . . . by nyceve — 261
9) Aww by droogie6655321 — 261
10) the full interview was online this afternoon by JakeDalton — 230
11) mccain doubles down on the comment too by zeke L — 226
12) tips by thereisnospoon — 226
13) The media is starting to pay attention by smash artist — 207
14) Video comparison right HERE by masterp23 — 191
15) Tips for the Next 1000 New Voters! by kath25 — 188
16) Post Hoc by Ray Radlein — 172
17) Just for historical completeness... by EquationDoc — 171
18) Because dawn was coming by Nespolo — 149
19) Desparation. by TomP — 128
20) I thought he is upset over lack of media coverage by karpaty lviv — 113
21) I could not stand Couric by anotherCt Dem — 111
22) TIP JAR... by Vyan — 109
23) A thank you to Mr. Payne by GenXProgress — 108
24) Jesus H. Christ with a hand grenade by Plutonium Page — 102
25) That is the fundamental moral by TomP — 97
26) Was Novak drinking or on drugs? by FishOutofWater — 97
27) McCain got a few BOOS today by JFinNe — 95
28) TO: CBS editing team. by JeffLieber — 93
29) Like I said before by Muzikal203 — 92
30) Couric gone? Now that's change you can believe in by LearningCurve — 90
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My personal hotlist: RAM and don mikulecky coming to my backyard - literally two miles away. And don't miss today's IGNT diary.
Always the mountains,
va dare