Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's Vice Presidential pick, to me and many others, came out of nowhere. It left us all wondering, who is Tim Kaine?
1. His Political Resume
Tim Kaine has a pretty long and impressive history in politics. He began his life as a lawyer after graduating from Harvard. Later in his life, he began serving in 1998 to 2001 as the Mayor of Richmond, then the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2005 and then as the Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010. He also held the title of the DNC Chair from 2009 to 2011 and he is currently serving as a senator for Virginia. He has been in politics for nearly two decades and has created a very long and impressive list of achievements, and is now also a candidate for Vice Presidency. On top of that, he is mostly scandal free and is known as a "nice guy" in Washington.
2. Civil Rights
When it comes to Civil Rights, Tim Kaine has been an avid fighter for women and gay rights. In his earlier days he fought as a Civil Rights lawyer, winning many major cases and standing up to racism in large corporations who looked to undermine the Civil Rights Act. In one of his biggest cases, he won his client $100 million from Nationwide Insurance for "redlining" his client.
3. Economics
When it comes to economics, a Huffington Post blogger called him, "Corporatist On Economics, Progressive On Social Issues." It sums up that Tim Kaine is someone who can make Wall Street happy and, at the same time, divert the public's attention from that with his great stances on social issues. But still, we can't forget that Tim Kaine recently called for looser regulation of banks. He also praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership, even though now he claims he doesn't since Clinton recently denounced it. Both Clinton and him have some differing views on economics, but it's hard to tell who will influence who more if they win this election in the end.
4. Religion
Tim Kaine is a devout Catholic, to the point where he and his wife have been members of the same church for three decades and he even went to Honduras as a missionary. He does hold a liberal standpoint publicly about abortion, abstinence and many other issues, but he personally has said that he's pro-life. He is a very religious person, but he doesn't exert his religious beliefs over the rest of America. It could be that Clinton may have picked him to appeal to other devout Catholics and Christians who are doubting Donald Trump.
5. Tim Kaine
So, what do we know about Tim Kaine? A career politician who is scandal free, known for his progressive civil rights work, considered a centrist when it comes to economical issues, and supports many other common Democratic issues, including, but not limited to, sensible gun laws.
We know that he is a very religious Catholic and even though he is, he doesn't always use his religion as an excuse to guide public policy; but his strong religious bonds might attract more support towards the Clinton campaign.
He is considered a "nice guy" by many, so we'll see how that helps out. Maybe, just maybe, Tim Kaine might be the Joe Biden for Hillary Clinton and just might help her win it all. He has many flaws that I personally see as a former Bernie supporter, but as a likable character with a superb record of fighting for what he believes in, he might just give Clinton the push she needs.
He also has a son who serves as a Marine (and this got attention recently when the NC GOP tried to "shame" Kaine for wearing a pin in his support of his son's service during the DNC).
So, Clinton-Kaine, this is going to be interesting and I look forward to getting to know TIm Kaine as the election runs on. A vice presidential candidate from a swing-state. We'll see how that changes things won't we?
