If it’s between Kaine and the other two dudes nobody knows, I’d rather she chose Kaine. He is at least vaguely recognizable to those of us who obsess about news, if to no one else.
Opinions, art, debate
If it’s between Kaine and the other two dudes nobody knows, I’d rather she chose Kaine. He is at least vaguely recognizable to those of us who obsess about news, if to no one else.
I was in favor of Julian Castro or Tom Perez who were shortlisted. But I can live with Kaine. Hes a bit on the “pro-life” side of the equation for my taste. But hes fine.
LikeLike
His record as governor was a bit iffy on that, but he’s been super pro-choice in his time in the Senate. I’m satisfied.
LikeLike
I like this choice. Kaine will calm down the more traditionalist among us.
LikeLike
Kaine and Vilsack are just going to put everyone to sleep. With this election, I’m not sure that’s something she should go for.
LikeLike
I agree. The danger of Kaine is he will fail to excite the base. (In terms of entertainment, she could have gone with Senator Al Franken.) Clinton needs to turn out the vote if shes going to win. Every eligible Democratic voter needs to show up in November.
But a choice for Kaine or Vilsak is very Clinton: middle of the road and to the right of the base.
LikeLike
Kaine will bring Virginia, and that’s important. I have serious doubts anybody remembers that Vilsak fellow back in where was it? Iowa?
As for exciting the base, if it still needs excitement, it isn’t really the base.
LikeLike
Excitement and enthusiasm is not just about voting, it’s about going out and doing legwork as well to stand in line, to get others to vote, etc.
Each side is going to attempt to demoralize the other side into staying home. There are very few people who are actually undecided between HRC and Trump. Their negatives are very high.
It’s about turnout. Look, in the last election, Barack Obama won my state. I was at a voting site where people were thrilled to be standing in line to vote on election day. Very old people who could barely stand were in line to vote. I’m not sure how thrilled people are going to be to vote.
LikeLike
I’m a lot more thrilled about Hillary than I was about Obama in 2008. Nobody knew who he was. To me, he was the guy who stood between us and Sarah Palin’s vice presidency. Other than that, I could say nothing about him.
LikeLike
Interesting. I did not know much about him, but when him speak at the 2004 convention, I turned to the people next to me and said, “This man’s going to be President someday.” That said, I wasn’t moved enough to go vote in the 2008 primary to choose between the two of them. I did, however, remind people of where their polling place was by going door to door.
LikeLike
Ongoing world events may effect the outcome of this election more than the selection of either VP candidate.
Right now there’s a mass shooting / possible terrorist attack underway in Munich, Germany (currently being covered on all the cable news channels). This is the second violent attack in Germany in less than a week.
LikeLike
Yeah, I just saw. Shit.
LikeLike
Kaine is a baffelling pick, it’s almost like clinton does not want to win. ( to parody those on the left who use same argument on trump).
Lets look at the core voting blocks of the left:
African americans
latinos – especially in this election
young people
women (especially single women)
progressives
post-graduate educated whites.
Perhaps he helps with the sixth category? Although no one ever said Tim Kaine gets them personally excited.
She had 4-5 picks that would fit many categories:
elizabeth warren
corey booker
tom perez
housing secretary from san antonio (castro?)
sherrod brown – ohio
The fact that it is likely kaiine or vilsack.. honestly tells me hillary and bill fundamentally don’t understand modern day politics. She still may win, but a horrible pick if you support her
LikeLike
Nah. VP choices are ultimately irrelevant in almost all U.S. Presidential elections.
Trump picked a bland, no-excitement VP, so Hillary has apparently decided that there’s no reason not to do the same.
LikeLike
“African americans
latinos – especially in this election
young people
women (especially single women)
progressives
post-graduate educated whites.”
Kaine gives us Virginia. That’s a hugely important purple state that will go blue.
“She had 4-5 picks that would fit many categories”
“The fact that it is likely kaiine or vilsack.. honestly tells me hillary and bill fundamentally don’t understand modern day politics.”
LikeLike
Its not that she won’t win those categories.. as someone else said its 100% about turnout. she doesn’t excite any of those with kaine.. which again, for republicans is great. vp’s don’t win or lose, but its shows she is playing it safe, will be pro tpp and also pro wall street.. trump is fitting the drapes as we speak!
LikeLike
Those categories are already extremely excited. And envy does not suit you. 🐍🐍🐍
LikeLike
we will find out nov. 8. again, hillary has the debates. if trump prepares he is next president. despite delivering and being serious last night, i still am less than 50/50 he will do hard work for the debates.
LikeLike
Here is an great analysis from the always astute Nate Silver. The upshot? Kaine helps Clinton a tiny bit. I think a bolder choice could have helped her more but Kaine is certainly not an apocalyptic choice. And Matt insistence on comparing Clinton and Trump is maddening.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/tim-kaine-probably-wouldnt-win-clinton-the-election/
LikeLike
As long as the pick doesn’t have the words “secretary of agriculture or of something else”, it will be a good one. Nobody wants to see a vastly hated governmental bureaucrat in that role.
LikeLike
comparing trump and clinton.. how is that maddening? they are literally the two candidates..lol
and she is unequivocally the pro-wall street candidate (first time in modern politics the dem is the more pro-wall street)
She is the more corrupt candidate
She is more for foreign trade which tends to favor big business
her hope is still that she can crush him in the debates, which is very likely. If trump prepares hard for debates next 10 weeks he wins. He delivered last night with the speech (obviously dems don’t liek the material, but was very serious speech and well given / spoken). If trump wants to win he will, he needs to bone up for 10 weeks to win debates. Honestly i still put clinton 60/40 due to the risk of debates. Clinton is shitty debater tho. If it was obama trump, obama would win, but clinton got wiped by obama. will be interesting.
But please elucidate how its maddening to compare that.. as that is literally what the 250 million eligible voters are bound to do!!!
LikeLike
Something to look forward to at the DNC:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sanders-fans-plan-dnc-fart-protest-clinton-nomination-n611596
LikeLike
I hope it’s a joke. I really do. I want to believe there is at least one party of adults in this country.
LikeLike
I have to remind myself that 85% of Sanders supporters plan on voting for Clinton, and even the remaining 15% aren’t all this immature. It’s also unclear whether this “protest” is actually going to attract anyone other than the two people mentioned in the article (one of them is Jill Stein’s former VP, go figure.) It’s still depressing to see a college professor stoop to the level of a 12 year old though.
LikeLike
lol.. bigger joke than the gop.. and they were coordinating to hate on bernie for his religion per the new emails released. unbelievable.
lord knows gop has issues but dnc is crumbling
LikeLike
Are you referring to the Democratic National Committee run by Debbie-in-the-tank-for-Hillary-Wasserman Schultz, or the Democratic National Convention, where this infantile “fart protest” is supposedly going to occur?
If the Democrats want to win this election, they need to spend more time addressing terrorism and less time on poop jokes.
LikeLike
Yeah, like Trump addresses terrorism with his brilliant suggestion to hand out nukes to the Saudi organizers of 9/11.
LikeLike
You mean like Obama has effectively handed out nukes to Iran?
LikeLike
That convention that just ended has the whole planet in stitches. 😆😆😆
LikeLike
That was just a warm-up for Act 2. The real giggles start in Philadelphia on Monday.
😆😆
LikeLike
Have you bought a green outfit to match this greenish tint to your face? 🤗
LikeLike
I don’t get the “green” reference…
The only green I’ve seen lately was your picture of Klara in her cute Robin Hood outfit.
LikeLike
It doesn’t bother you that Kaine is anti-choice?
LikeLike
Please don’t be silly. https://www.balloon-juice.com/2016/07/22/lets-this-kaine-anti-choice-bullshit-right-in-the-fucking-bud/
LikeLike
Kaine is no more anti-choice than Trump is. (Trump has always been pro-abortion rights — still is, but he’s lying about his “conservative” views).
LikeLike
On the other hand, Hillary also has many great qualities that she, too, is lying (or silent) about:
She’s strongly in favor of the Keystone Pipeline and TTP (but lying about both); she’s bought and paid for by Wall Street (which is the side of the street that keeps the stock market soaring); she won’t even throw a bone from the Democratic National Convention platform to the rapid dogs roaming Gaza who claim victimhood while on the prowl for Jewish blood; she’s a strong supporter of NATO who would fulfill our obligation to go to war with Putin in a heartbeat if that Russian swine invaded any frontline NATO nation.
I could almost vote for her if she’d stop claiming that she wants to continue Obama’s past 8 years of retreat, apology, and disaster, and if it weren’t for the damage that she’s prepared to do to the Supreme Court for the next 30 years.
LikeLike
It’s strange to talk about Obama’s retreat when Trump has already started licking Putin’s boots and panting eagerly.
LikeLike