Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine, a Popular Senator From a Swing State, as Running Mate

Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine, a Popular Senator From a Swing State, as Running Mate

DWags wrote:Vanilla. But I'd rather the two VP's were running against each other.

Then it would be vanilla/vanilla but either would be better than whichever bitter pill the nation is about to swallow.

Tim Kaine increases Clinton's chance of winning the Electoral College by 0.7 percentage points

If Hillary Clinton chooses Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate, as betting markets and journalists suspect, then in some ways, it’s a dull story. Kaine has traditional credentials, having served as Virginia’s governor before joining the U.S. Senate. He’s young enough, at 58, that he could run for president himself in 2020 or 2024. He’s not especially liberal, but he’s no Blue Dog Democrat, either. He’s a white guy, although he speaks good Spanish. If Mike Pence is a “generic Republican,” then Kaine is a “generic Democrat.”

Basically she thinks she has it won no matter who she picked, and she does barring a campaign disaster.  I'm really surprised she didn't pick a minority though.

And as the media sells Kaine as a "moderate"

WTF is Brian Fallon?

Kaine is a centrist for Democrats. HRC made a very safe choice. No current HRC supporters are going think Kaine is a severe right or left turn. Being a fluent Spanish speaker won't hurt in AZ, CO, FL and NM.

Sanders supporters would have loved to see Warren but that wasn't going to happen. Nearly as much of a long shot as Sanders supporters flocking to Trump.
I don't see the dystopian vision Trump is fueling.

GRR Spartan wrote:
Kaine is a centrist for Democrats.  HRC made a very safe choice.  No current HRC supporters are going think Kaine is a severe right or left turn.  Being a fluent Spanish speaker won't hurt in AZ, CO, FL and NM.

Sanders supporters would have loved to see Warren but that wasn't going to happen.  Nearly as much of a long shot as Sanders supporters flocking to Trump.
I don't see the dystopian vision Trump is fueling.

This system is fucked up. I mean, jesus.... this is how governance works

GRR Spartan wrote:Kaine is a centrist for Democrats.

This is true. So those numbers fit him perfectly.

The media can use the term "Moderate" or "Centrist" all it wants - the votes tell the tale, not the rhetoric.

Even before Indiana Governor Mike Pence was selected as the GOP vice presidential candidate, all three broadcast networks instructed viewers that he was a "staunch conservative" and "social conservative" who was "popular with the Tea Party."

But those same networks are now advertising Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's choice to be the Democrats' vice presidential candidate, as a "centrist" and "moderate," even though Kaine is as far to the left as Pence is to the right.

The American Conservative Union has been rating members of Congress for decades. During his 12 years in Congress, Pence earned a near-perfect 99% conservative score from the group. As for Tim Kaine, his three years in the Senate have earned him a zero rating, meaning he never once voted as conservatives would wish.

For comparison purposes, Hillary Clinton earned an 8% rating during her 8 years in the Senate, while Bernie Sanders lifetime ACU score is 6%.

For its part, the liberal Americans for Democratic Action have approved of Kaine's votes 88% of the time, compared to just 4% of the time for Pence.

So the fact is that going by the scored votes of the ACU he's MORE liberal than Hills or Bernie.

xsanguine wrote:

GRR Spartan wrote:
Kaine is a centrist for Democrats.  HRC made a very safe choice.  No current HRC supporters are going think Kaine is a severe right or left turn.  Being a fluent Spanish speaker won't hurt in AZ, CO, FL and NM.

Sanders supporters would have loved to see Warren but that wasn't going to happen.  Nearly as much of a long shot as Sanders supporters flocking to Trump.
I don't see the dystopian vision Trump is fueling.

This system is fucked up. I mean, jesus.... this is how governance works

Yes.

I didn't fall off the turnip truck today Goose. I would rely on The American Conservative Union to make sure they will let readers of Battleline know who they agree with.

The American Conservative Union appears to like Democrats about as as much as Orthodox Jews like the Gideons in Jerusalem.

http://acuratings.conservative.org/acu-federal-legislative-ratings/?year1=2015&chamber=13&state1=0&sortable=1

GRR Spartan wrote:I didn't fall off the turnip truck today Goose. I would rely on The American Conservative Union to make sure they will let readers of Battleline know who they agree with.

The American Conservative Union appears to like Democrats about as as much as Orthodox Jews like the Gideons in Jerusalem.

http://acuratings.conservative.org/acu-federal-legislative-ratings/?year1=2015&chamber=13&state1=0&sortable=1

All organizations that endorse have "scored" votes - you know that. And of course the CONSERVATIVE union isn't going to score Dems highly, just as the AFL-CIO isn't going to score Reps highly. You questioned my numbers posted by leftist organizations so I posted one by a Conservative organization and it seems you don't like that one either.

The end result is that Mr. Kaine talks like a moderate but votes as a staunch liberal. This is true of many Dems as they know that will often get them re-elected. Reps do much the same thing in the opposite. Talk like a rock ribbed Conservative then vote like a moderate.

Either way I'm not making anything up - it's Mr Kaine's voting record and it doesn't agree with the narrative they're trying to sell to everyone - what a shocker.

Staunch liberals got your parents Social Security and Medicare. Maybe they and/or you have been so financially successful they didn't need to rely on you as much or at all for expenses after they retired.

Staunch liberals got hourly workers overtime and jobs that offer 2 weeks paid vacations, group health insurance for workers families, laws that federally insure our money in banks and CU's up to $250K. All things the GOP has fought as government interference at various times. Staunch liberals also fought to get pension funds protected so company owners could close shop and take employee pension funds when they left town.

Conservatives fought the GI Bill that paid for my MSU education. Conservatives fought Stafford loans and Federally insured student loans . The latter gave my oldest a route to grad school.

Maybe your vision of what's right for this country differs. I am not enamoured with what the American Conservative Union sees as an ideal America.

DWags wrote:Well here's a different kind of joint appearance.

A joint appearance

Now - this, this is something I can get behind.

GRR Spartan wrote:Staunch liberals got your parents Social Security and Medicare. Maybe they and/or you have been so financially successful they didn't need to rely on you as much or at all for expenses after they retired.

Staunch liberals got hourly workers overtime and jobs that offer 2 weeks paid vacations, group health insurance for workers families, laws that federally insure our money in banks and CU's up to $250K. All things the GOP has fought as government interference at various times. Staunch liberals also fought to get pension funds protected so company owners could close shop and take employee pension funds when they left town.

Conservatives fought the GI Bill that paid for my MSU education. Conservatives fought Stafford loans and Federally insured student loans . The latter gave my oldest a route to grad school.

Maybe your vision of what's right for this country differs. I am not enamoured with what the American Conservative Union sees as an ideal America.

I could make many counter arguments but I'm not in the mood for it today. SS and Medicare were fine ideas if they had been paid for. They weren't and aren't and we'll end up beggaring our children over them. I'm as compassionate as the next guy, I just don't believe in reaching into your pocket to show my compassion for a 3rd fellow.

Remember that when your volunteer fire department doesn't get to your burning home because they don't have enough personnel or equipment because fiscally conservative voters think they don't need more or choose not to renew taxes.

Just watched The Last Man on The Moon about astronaut Gene Cernan. One thing that struck me is if the US shared your mindset in the 1950's 60's and 70's we would have not graduated huge numbers of engineers and watched the USSR lead the way in space research because we should pay taxes to put a person on the moon. Our parents paid taxes and the top 10% paid a lot more taxes so the country could afford it.

Bernie Sanders knew what was going on.  He's still endorsing HRC and is happy the DNC chair will be gone after the convention.

Kasperov knows what a populist despot can do.  That's why he's living in NYC and thinks Trump reminds him of Putin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/donald-trump-reminds-me-of-vladimir-putin--and-that-is-terrifying/2016/07/23/36397692-50e5-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html

GRR Spartan wrote:Remember that when your volunteer fire department doesn't get to your burning home because they don't have enough personnel or equipment because fiscally conservative voters think they don't need more or choose not to renew taxes.

The difference is that local taxes in small communities suffer far less waste.  It still exists just not on the scale.   The local fire departments wouldn't dare pull some of the stunts done by State and Federal level people.   And I know this is anecdotal only but when the county government up here needed more room and the school did too (this was 30 years ago) they built a new school and the county moved into the old school.  Problems solved in a way that made sense, gave everyone what they needed and saved a huge sum of $$.

In 99% of counties today that wouldn't happen, they both would build new while trying to figure out what to do with the old buildings.  I'm all in favor of paying taxes that are spent frugally, I don't think I've ever voted against a township level tax and the only county level tax I've consistently opposed is the "drug task force" - because I think it's a waste of money.

Can we trust Hills & Kaine to continue the Obama drone program of assassinating American citizens overseas without trials?

LooseGoose wrote:Can we trust Hills & Kaine to continue the Obama drone program of assassinating American citizens overseas without trials?

Absolutely. You want a war on terror? Then its a war and we don't fuck around. I want maximum kills to operation ratios.

If  an American is overseas encouraging harming US citizens I'd guide the UMA to take them out.  Once you step into the realm of using the name of Allah and hardline interpretation of the Koran to justify killing innocents, in my opinion you have have given up your rights as a US citizen.

I feel as strongly about that as others do about gun registration.

GRR don't fuck around. Kill 'em all, let god sort 'em out.

My kind of American.

In all seriousness... I'm being serious.

Americans are too spoiled and fat and have become too detached from what this entire game is all about. You can't tickle the enemy into submission. Armies throughout history win because they were the more brutal and willing to be more cruel to their enemy than vice versa.

When it comes to survival... which is what life is all about when you break it down to its bare minimum... strength wins out every time.

But Hillary is a manipulative, vitriolic warhawk... so yes, we can expect her to continue to blow up wedding parties from warships in the Persian gulf.