I have felt all along that Kaine had the capability of real outreach to Mormon voters because of his own missionary service in Honduras. Remember that most Mormon men do missionary service, quite often overseas — Mitt Romney did his in France.
Today the Deseret News, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Utah’s dominant newspaper, published Exclusive: Tim Kaine: Why religious mission service matters to America.
If you know Kaine’s story, there is much in this piece that will be familiar to you.
I urge you to read the piece. And I remind you that Mormons are not only dominant in Utah, but also play a significant role in the votes in NV (Harry Reid is Mormon), AZ, and a few other states not really in play at this point, especially Idaho.
I want to explore and comment upon a few parts of this piece. If all you want to do is read Kaine, follow the link above. If you care about what I have to offer, please continue below.
Being a missionary taught me how to live Christ’s declaration that we find ourselves only by losing ourselves. I learned to go long stretches without a shower, to empathize with my neighbors when they were victimized by abusive officials, and to accept meals from those who had almost nothing to give.
The one part of that paragraph that may be new you you is the last phrase, about accepting meals “from those who had almost nothing to give.” This is something that is a key part of humility. Kaine explains in the next brief paragraph:
At the time, one of the priests told me, “You’ve got to be really, really humble to take a gift of food from a family as poor as that.” What he was saying, of course, is that when you deny a person the agency to give, you deny them the opportunity to be fully human.
Here I note that poor people are often far more generous proportionally than are rich people. As I read elsewhere today, and retweeted, the country where people are most likely to help strangers right now is Iraq, because so many have experienced the devastation of their country in recent years.
Kaine writes about how his missionary service changed him, in a way I have often heard from others who served in the Peace Corps, for example, my niece, who was in the Central African Republic. Kaine tells us
My time in Honduras became my North Star, a crucible of my values. It has influenced everything I’ve done in public life since: as a civil rights lawyer, city councilman, mayor, lieutenant governor, governor, and now, a senator.
Certainly those who have paid attention to him are aware of this. Here I add the commitment of his wife Anne Holton, who as a child when her father was governor went — as did her brother -to Richmond public schools, often as the only white children in their classes, to commit to the idea of racial justice. Anne has served children in a variety of capacities during her own career. And Tim and Anne still attend a Catholic church that is predominantly African-American in its membership.
Kaine writes that he has learned to recognize “selfless leadership” from people of all backgrounds and careers, and tells us
And I take courage in the fact that men and women from all backgrounds still come together in good faith to address the challenges we face.
He commends the Mormons for living their values of service, quoting Jesus from the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which I note in the Orthodox Church in which my wife and I were married and where she still worships is the Gospel passage for the Sunday of the Last judgment.
Kaine’s piece acknowledges that Mormons have themselves experienced persecution for their beliefs, to which he adds
That should never happen in our country. We are a nation of immigrants, many of them drawn to our nation by the promise of religious freedom. We have no higher calling than to build a nation where all are free to lead safe, dignified and productive lives.
He is critical of those who attack others because of religion for political gain, to which he adds from his own missionary experience and the experience of this campaign
In Honduras, I saw how a dictatorship, in which people are afraid to speak as they like and be who they are, crushes the human soul. And in this election, some of our basic values are under threat in ways we have not seen in our lifetimes.
He commits himself and Mrs. Clinton to protecting the basic American values to which all can agree despite the diversity in the way we worship — to which I would add, if we choose to worship.
He ends with a personal affirmation/commitment:
When I left Honduras, it was with the vow that I would not forget what I had seen and learned. The most powerful lesson was that selfless leadership glorifies and protects others. Hillary Clinton and I will carry that lesson to the highest offices of our nation.
We know that Hillary Clinton has spent her entire life, even from adolescence, working out how to live her own Methodist faith.
I believe this is a piece that will resonate with many Mormons. I make no judgment about the political impact it will have. Certainly, with a Mormon running strongly as well (Evan McMullin) a lot of Mormons who are horrified by Donald Trump have another choice to make than turning to the Democratic ticket. It is possible to win the state’s 6 electoral votes with as little as 35-38% of the popular vote. Even that might be beyond reach for Clinton-Kaine.
But this piece serves a purpose beyond that of the election. It provides an opening for dialog in running the government after the election, to a constituency that might otherwise be reluctant to listen to an administration lead by a Democratic president.
Go read the entire piece.
I think you will be glad you did.