Days prior to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA, Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton selected Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate for the upcoming election. While Kaine's name was believed to have been at the top of the former Secretary of State's list of potential Vice President picks, her choice comes as somewhat of a surprise and is believed to be a mistake to many Democrats who are grounded in more progressive beliefs.
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Tim Kaine is no stranger to the realm of politics, his impressive resume speaks for itself. He also serves as an example of how dedication and hard work in one's job field can lead to constant opportunities to move up the ladder. Kaine's first experience holding an elected office was when he managed to win a seat on the Richmond City Council in 1994. He was elected as mayor of Richmond four years later, then lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2001. In 2005, Kaine became governor of Virginia. Upon winning the election for Senator of Virginia in 2012, Tim Kaine became one of 20 people to have been elected mayor, governor and senator.
Of those speculated to have been on Clinton's short list, Senator Kane is arguably the "safest" choice. Other names on the list included former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro, the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Amidst lengthy discussions with her advisors, Hillary Clinton ultimately decided on Senator Kaine. She made the announcement via Twitter.
He is the all around safest choice for the Clinton campaign for a number of reasons. Most obviously, the Senator is a caucasian male. Clinton played it safe by choosing not to add another woman or a minority to her already historic ticket. Senator Kaine also agrees with Clinton's stances on many key issues such as gun control, abortion and education reform. It's also worth mentioning that Tim Kaine has never lost an election. Lucky?
As safe of a pick that Senator Kaine may be, I don't think that Hillary Clinton made the right choice here. Yes, Tim Kaine can appeal to some conservatives who may not be on board with Trump's radical platform, however, he doesn't do a great job of appealing to those on the more progressive and liberal side of the Democratic spectrum. More often than not, conservatives tend to stay conservative. Mrs. Clinton should have used this opportunity to make an attempt at garnering support from those who formerly supported Bernie Sanders. Following recent reports that the Democratic National Committee may have stacked the deck against Sanders causing the nomination to go in Clinton's favor, many Bernie supporters are reluctant to throw their support to Mrs. Clinton.
Is attempting to grab conservative votes more important than attempting to unify the party? How truly successful can one be in an election when the party isn't united? Will Democrats be able to cultivate a sense of unity before November's general election? Time will tell.
