I've been asked 3 times now how I could be a Bernie supporter and be such a vocal lover of Kaine

[Joe the Revelator]

I posted this in another thread, but I want to put this out there:

I worked for Tim Kaine's campaigns, I've been around Tim Kaine, I've been following his career for 20 years. When I wanted inspiration trying to turn VA Blue in the aughts, I didn't turn to Mark Warner, he is a great man and politician, but no liberal, I turned to Tim Kaine. The man was the most liberal local politician i could find in my state in 2001. He's been a great liberal ambassador to this state and will be a great Vice President for this country.

[DemonGoddess]

1. K&R!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I'm glad you're speaking up about him, my dear Joe!

There's nothing quite like actual, direct experience of working around someone.

Thank you!

[awake]

13. +1000

Much better than press hype to hear from someone who knows from direct experience

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Keep up the good work. Really...

Bernie is yesterday and we have to look forward to tomorrow.

Nothing. NOTHIING is as important as stopping Trump.

[JudyM]

91. "Bernie is yesterday" is true only with regard to who is running, not to what a person's values

are. To close to half of Dems, or thereabouts, his principles are far more closely aligned to ours, even though we prefer Clinton to tRump. So if the question is about values/principles and not who the presidential candidate is, of course Bernie values matter, and he is, despite protestations from some, extremely relevant.

[TreasonousBastard]

93. I didn't mean Bernie is irrelevant...

just that the current cause is the election.

Bernie and his points should always be a part of the overall discussion.

[radical noodle]

4. Thanks for this!

Very good to know.

[ismnotwasm]

5. Well I was a bit surprised

You are the second DUer to post positive personal experience with Sen. Kaine and I count that as a very good sign of good things to come.

[tallahasseedem]

47. My husband who is apolitical...

because he generally doesn't trust any politician has met and worked with Kaine more than a few times...he is over the moon about the pick because he likes and respects him. Not only that, a few of our very Catholic Republican family members posted on Facebook that they are prepared to support the ticket now as well. Needless to say, I am very excited tonight!

[MBS]

70. excellent story.

Kaine is truly a good man. And the reaction of your family is a hopeful indicator that his presence on the ticket will help us in November. (although the main thing is that he will be a thoughtful, knowledgeable, experienced partner in the White House, and someone fully capable of functioning as president should circumstances warrant).

[ismnotwasm]

85. I posted elsewhere that I now have hope for my very Catholic oldest daughter

She is a military veteran and somehow swung right when I wasn't looking. She's not insane though--she won't vote for Trump under any circumstances, but has never liked Hillary, even when she had a more liberal outlook in life.

[obamanut2012]

6. People don't get that he could legit run as President himself

[Joe the Revelator]

74. And more than likely win against most of the GOP bench. nt

[calimary]

99. Well, it means that 2024 and 2028 look good for Dems. He's only 58.

[AgadorSparticus]

112. Oh no. My mom and I were talking about that earlier today.

We can totally see him as President.

Not gonna lie. I am totally swooning over him right now. So in love.

[nolabear]

7. Thanks for the informed endorsement!

[Her Sister]

8. Great to start getting these 1st hand stories.

He sounds like both a team player and a team leader!

Heard Obama also liked him as VP.

[rateyes]

9. Where is he on LGBTQ issues?

[Joe the Revelator]

11. I'm going to crib this from thinkprogress

Like Hillary Clinton, Kaine has evolved somewhat on the issue of LGBT rights. Though he opposed same-sex marriage as governor and said when pressed on the issue in 2012 that he thinks “labels get in the way of the issue,” he has supported same-sex marriage since 2013. And as governor, Kaine campaigned against Virginia’s 2006 referendum to prohibit same-sex marriage. He banned discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation on his first day in office.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/07/22/3801047/tim-kaine-hillary-vp/

[dsc]

15. to be fair he has done way more evolving

He was opposed to adoption for both same sex couples and unmarried couples, he signed but then campaigned against the constitutional amendment in VA which banned marriage equality. He also opposed civil unions. He was way worse on those issues than Hillary ever was.

[obamanut2012]

17. He did sign an EO protecting LGBT State workers

But, that was about all as Gov.

[dsc]

18. He did

and he also tried to pass an ENDA type law but his record was far from awesome.

[obamanut2012]

19. agreed

[Joe the Revelator]

44. First day in office. In 06.

[babylonsister]

21. I like seeing people evolve.

Apparently there are a lot of people out there who will never do so.

[dsc]

26. I have no problem with evolving

He was running in VA so his record for VA in the early 2000's was meh. He is currently at 100 percent and I am OK with that.

[babylonsister]

27. I do remember when he

first came on the national political scene and all the issues I didn't agree with, like abortion.

So onward. Not my decision, but I'm not running for prez. Actually, that sounds like torture to me.

[tallahasseedem]

51. The 2000s was crazy town because

of W, Cheney, and Karl Rove's war on social issues. Everyone had to pivot.

[auntpurl]

73. Agreed, Elizabeth Warren was a Republican for god's sakes.

If we don't let people get better on these issues and continue to punish them for their past positions, what incentive does anyone have to progress?

[calimary]

100. That's a great point, auntpurl. Things change. And we should applaud those who recognize that

and change accordingly, themselves. Hillary even made this point - saying of course you change your mind or your stand on things, with new things to take into account. If you want to have INFORMED positions, then of course YOU evolve, change your mind, adjust your thinking accordingly, consider new things or new findings or new developments that alter your earlier view. President Obama came around on gay marriage. Hillary, and now Tim Kaine too, have changed their positions on TPP. Practically everybody in politics who's got some grip on reality has changed his or her position on gay rights.

We've certainly seen what folly it is when public policymakers stay rigid, and DON'T change - either with the times, or new discoveries, or scientific research, or cultural shifts, or new realities. When, for just one example, politicians remain racist DESPITE the growing reality of demographic change in this country, or when people dig in their heels on climate change denial DESPITE the drastically mounting evidence that it's not only real BUT also really caused by humans. When they take pride in that denial - it can literally be fatal. Look how relentlessly ronald reagan stayed closed-minded about AIDS, and his refusal to bring the growing crisis to the public's attention or advocate for it. People DIED of that willful neglect. That refusal to change and modify one's views - KILLED PEOPLE. Delayed treatment. Prolonged pain and agony and deterioration. How many people did we lose because the Neanderthals out there remained willfully stuck on the idea that AIDS was God's way of punishing gays, and refusing to change with the times and with new scientific realities?

We HOPE for politicians who AREN'T so calcified that they can't be flexible, and open to different ideas and changes and new realities! We PRAY for policymakers and decision-makers who have open minds and nimble thinking to meet the realities that those open minds allow in. We WANT - and NEED the adaptability and the flexibility that both come with, and through, those open minds. I'm glad these folks change their minds on things I consider important!

It's not a bad thing for candidates to change their minds. Particularly when it's because there's a recognition that the previous thinking doesn't fit or doesn't work or have relevance or carry weight anymore, or meet the real needs of real people in real changing times anymore. It's not a bad thing! It's a good thing. Indeed, sometimes our very lives depend on it.

[Bluenorthwest]

87. I love to see the evolution but I do not care for the denial of it. Claiming he's been better

than he was can suggest an endorsement of what he was. He wa opposed to even civil unions and was an opponent of the LGBT community in ways Hillary never has been. To celebrate his evolution requires the truthful dealing with his past. If you celebrate his evolution by attempting to erase his past that really erases the evolution which should be commended.

And that's the pitfall that can come from rewarding people with major history of antagonizing a particular community. This pitfall can be avoided by not dismissing the history or pretending it is not there. Nothing is more powerful than a properly changed mind. Let him explain those changes.

[MichiganVote]

98. I don't know that he has denied any of it. But his present speeches are re: the VP slot

Maybe you envision a Charlie Rose sort of format and that will probably come to pass. But its not like the guy has to go to confession dude, even if he is Catholic.

[politicaljunkie41910]

40. Some people don't understand how hard it is to be a Democrat in a purple state. You sometimes

have to say what it takes to get elected until the red folks evolve or the blue folks multiply.

[phylny]

107. Thank you for stating this.

I live in a flaming red area of Virginia, and it's really hard to get anyone here to vote for anything but God and guns. I'm on the Clinton/Kaine bandwagon.

[Grey Lemercier]

10. Kaine is a great pick, I am more than happy with his selection

[Her Sister]

82. Kaine is a great pick, I am more than happy with his selection

Like how you stated that. Think I am going to plagiarize the heck out of that!! LOL!

Kaine is a great pick, I am more than happy with his selection

[misterhighwasted]

12. Front & center experience to speak the truth.

I believe you & understand why one would respect & admire Sen Kaine.
That is a great story to tell.
Thanks

[still_one]

14. An all or nothing view can many times leave one with nothing. This country was built on compromise.

[Cha]

16. Wow, that's good to know! Great hearing it from someone who

has had such a close interest in Senator Kaine.

I really didn't know that much about him before today but the more I'm finding out the better it is!

[Hekate]

20. Thank you! so much for the input!

[stevenleser]

22. I think your experience is what I see when I talk to a lot of Democratic leaders that folks have

decided are too conservative.

There are exceptions. Lieberman comes to mind.

[ucrdem]

23. Hey that's great to hear.

Sounds like a good pick.

[NBachers]

24. I'm glad to hear your first-hand experience. I've "evolved" from "No Kaine" to "Let's Go!"

and it's people like you who've helped to make it easier.

[shireen]

25. thanks for your post

I know nothing about him. My first impression was ... yawn. Boring. But your post reminded me that first impressions are usually quite misleading.

[dpatbrown]

28. Thanks Joe,

for the background. Very helpful to me right now, because I was against a Kaine pick.

[INdemo]

29. May I add this....time Kaine is a strong Union supprter

In fact it was organized labor that helped him win his Governor's seat.


Great Choice Hillary....

Note: I made a comment in the Indy Star after Pence was chosen by Trump and I said
"The funny thing is Hillary will probably carry Indiana in the General"..and I meant it...

[imaginary girl]

32. I hope so! n/t

[AwakeAtLast]

38. Obama did in 2008

That was fun!

I see no reason why Hillary can't do it in 2016!!

[mopinko]

31. trained by jesuits.

anti-catholic as fidel castro, but have great respect for the jesuits.
many examples in my family, and moral and courageous to the core.
and an impressive life's work.

[Stonepounder]

37. From what I have read...

He is a JFK Catholic. He understands separation of Church and State. Is 'pro-life personally' but supports a woman's right to choose and believes that Roe v Wade was a proper decision.

[Joe the Revelator]

45. You heard correctly. nt

[calimary]

101. Yep. And if Planned Parenthood and NARAL both give him an "A" grade,

That's good enough for me! If Cecile Richards can live with him on the ticket, so can I. And she's already declared that she's thrilled about him being selected, and that was stated with what clearly looked like authentic enthusiasm.

[tallahasseedem]

53. Jesuits are a different breed...

Pope Francis is a Jesuit as well. The majority of Jesuits in this country tend to be Democrats as well due to their views on Science and social issues.

[Walk away]

71. Most of my family are born Atheists but all the boys went to Fordam Prep....

You can't beat them for turning out brilliant Liberals and they don't shove their beliefs down anyone's throats.

[calimary]

103. Lifelong Catholic here. LOTS of exposure to the Jesuits.

Jesuits are all about learning, logic, and reasoning. Thinking. Study. Analysis. Facts. Growing up in Catholic school, there was a lot of Jesuit influence. Most of the guys who came to our mixers at my all-girl high school were either from the Jesuit-run boys school or the Carmelite-run boys school. Jesuits don't do bullshit. But they are into open minds.

[Walk away]

106. My Brother used to tell this great story about when he was in high school...

he ducked into the Fordham Chapel on a rainy weekday and was drying off in the back when one of the elderly Brothers who no longer taught school, came in, knelt down in front of the alter and proceeded to speak to God about his life. This man spent over an hour describing his years in China, his fears and doubts and his eventual belief in the God he was talking to. It seems that it took this man his entire life of study and internal struggle to finally find his faith.

The man, who had been a priest for over 60 years, never heard or saw my Brother Although my Brother is still an Atheist and raised kids who chose to be Atheists as well, he has always admired other people's ability to find something mystical to believe in.

[calimary]

108. That's a terrific story, Walk away!

There was such a profound appreciation of learning. Reading. Studying. Opening your mind. Letting it run. Follow the facts as far as they take you. And THEN make your conclusions. It doesn't make for any science-versus-religious belief conflicts! It doesn't encourage your inner heathen. It only adds. It only informs! This is not an either/or thing! It doesn't put you in any denial or negation of God. It leads you closer to an appreciation of God. WHATEVER/WHOEVER you imagine or believe God is.

We have a terrific example of the Jesuit mindset on display currently, in Pope Francis.

[Walk away]

116. It's always been my opinion that if the entire Catholic church was made up of Jesuits and some...

Franciscans, it really would be a force for good in the world. As it is, it has it ups and downs. This is not to disparage individual's and their personal beliefs. I simply think that valuing intelligence, sacrifice and critical thinking is a religion I can get behind.

[hunter]

118. California Governor Jerry Brown likewise has the Jesuit background.

I'm far left of Brown or Kaine, but I'll choose competent, tough, experienced Democratic leaders over anyone else.

Obama is such a leader, and I expect the same of Clinton and Kaine.

George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger did a lot of damage to the U.S.A. and California.

[mopinko]

120. good comparison to brown.

if we can get the country to take the same steps that brown took, we will be on our way to being decent citizens of the world again.

[SCantiGOP]

33. Kaine wouldn't be a liberal

in Vermont or Oregon, but he is in the South.
Fritz Hollings used to piss me off when he would veer to the right his last two years of every term, but he was a Liberal for the other four years in Congress.

[Joe the Revelator]

34. I agree, you're only as liberal as the state you rep, but....

Kaine was the only person in 2001 trying to bring attention to how the death penalty in VA was bullshit. Before he started saying it, that would have been suicide to a democrat in VA running for Lt. Governor.

[SCantiGOP]

80. I remembered that, Joe

And it is important to me. The death penalty is as close as I have to a non-negotiable issue. While I have voted in the past for candidates that don't oppose the death penalty (B Clinton in 92 and 96 as a notable case) I know their opponents are always far worse on this issue.
The GOP even put the old "streamline the state death machine process" in their party platform.

[63splitwindow]

35. K & R. I just hope ALL Sanders and Warren supporters do what they are asked to do...

BY SANDERS AND WARREN next week. If they trust them to be President of the United States then they should obviously trust them to make the right decision in this regard.

[bunnies]

43. a 63 split window vet is one of the most amazing cars in the world...

but your post is crap.

[63splitwindow]

49. My post is what all rational adults think and the split window Vette was a one year model...

because it was unsafe and impractical. A GREAT collector car because of that.

[bunnies]

52. 63 AND 64

technically 2 years.

[63splitwindow]

57. Zora Duntov disagrees with you...

"On 1964 models the decorative hood vents were eliminated and Duntov, the Corvette's chief engineer, got his way with the split rear window changed to a full width window."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette

Hey you tried.

[bunnies]

63. thats weird. Because theres 64 split window in the lot at my work.

Ive driven it... but I guess it doesnt exist. Thanks for the condescending image, by the way. Youre swell.

[63splitwindow]

64. You call my initial post "crap" and then say I'm swell. Bye.

[JudyM]

92. You could take a pic and come back here and post it

Id like to see it too.

[Silver_Witch]

110. Our opinion are not needed or wanted...

we will all make the correct decision...

Please stop talking to us as we are not allowed to respond honestly.

Thank you.

[63splitwindow]

111. Bye.

[Silver_Witch]

113. you just proved my point...

What in my post is worth alerting on?

[ancianita]

36. Convenido! Agreed!

[Joe the Revelator]

41. You called Tim Kaine Anti-Choice and Anti- Marriage equality...Now I understand...

....the disconnect between reality and your post.

[bunnies]

46. knowledge is good.

http://www.queerty.com/tim-kaine-basic-well-intentioned-foot-dragging-not-pro-gay-democrat-20160722

[tallahasseedem]

54. He worked for Kaine for over 20 years...

he's very knowledgeable on what Kaine does or does not support.

[Joe the Revelator]

56. To be clear, I only worked for Kaine during his state wide campaigns in 01, 06 and volunteered in 13

While I was working my grown up job (in 13). 06 was my last full year working for the party. I've been following Kaine for 20 years. Just didn't want to pad my resume here!

[tallahasseedem]

58. Sorry about that...

[Joe the Revelator]

59. No worries! I could just imagine some creep coming back with 'I looked it up! Liar!'

[Joe the Revelator]

55. Knowledge is good, do better research....

Tim Kaine signed an order the first day in office as Governor protecting LGBTQ state employees. In 06 he campaigned against an amendment to the VA constitution (that was very popular in the state, it passed with 56% support) to outlaw same sex marriage.

He announced his full support for same sex marriage in 2013. Late? Maybe. But early for a Senator in the south.

He was for civil unions at a time when most other democrats were against gay marriage or also for civil unions. He has obviously evolved on that, as have the rest of the party.

He co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act while in the Senate.

[bunnies]

61. 2013?! Thats EXACTLY what my article said.

Late? MAYBE?!

Kaine's a mediocre, milquetoast centrist throw-away. He does nothing controversial and he has no spine.

I noticed you ignored the pro TPP, anti union, bank deregulating bits.

Right. Economic inequality is a boogie man.

[Joe the Revelator]

62. He won in VA opposing the NRA, coal and the death penalty

That alone is a bit of magic. I'm sorry he's not the uber liberal you wanted in the VP spot, but I'd like to win this election and Tim Kaine is so much better than the talking points you are parroting.

The pro-tpp thing is a non-starter. It's already been stated that he is going to move his position to be in line with Hillary and the platform.

Anti-Union, I have no idea what you are talking about. VA is a right to work state, as is the rest of the south. He was elected with strong support from unions in Virginia, so they must be seeing something that you don't.

Bank Deregulating? Well, we can't agree on everything.

[csziggy]

114. That article is incorrect about Kaine voting for that amendment

Your article claims: "The real test came in 2006, when Kaine was governor. By veto-proof margins, the legislature passed a bill to put an anti-marriage amendment on the ballot. Kaine opposed the measure, saying it went too far in forbidding civil unions, but he signed it nonetheless. As partial redemption, he campaigned against the measure, which handily succeeded anyway."

The governor did not sign it and could not have stopped it.

SB 526 Constitutional amendment; marriage may exist only between a man and woman.

Constitutional amendment (voter referendum); marriage. Provides for a referendum at the November 2006 election on approval of a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage. The proposed amendment provides that "only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions." The proposed amendment also prohibits the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing "a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage." Further, the proposed amendment prohibits the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing "another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage." This bill is identical to HB 101.

<SNIP>
03/15/06 House: Signed by Speaker
03/16/06 Senate: Signed by President
04/10/06 House: Bill became law without Governor's signature, Chapter 828 (effective 7/1/06)
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?061+sum+SB526

Emphasis added by me.

I wonder what else that source is incorrect about?

[Pacifist Patriot]

68. Wow, you really haven't read anything about him...

beyond smear talking point headlines have you? A little education about Kaine wouldn't hurt you any. Dig a little deeper, like with a spoon not a shovel. It's not difficult to find where you're wrong.

[Ilsa]

42. Thank you, and

I'm reasonably happy with this choice. Like Sec. Clinton, I want a VP who can step into the presidency if called to do so. I want someone with government experience, liberal credentials, and a life lived with decency towards others, including the spouse and children. I won't ever see eye-to-eye with any candidate, but I think the prez candidate should feel completely comfortable with her choice.

[pnwmom]

48. Thank you for sharing this. I wish it could be pinned to the top of the forum! n/t

[DesertRat]

50. K&R

[aikoaiko]

60. One fights the war with the army they have -- not the army they want.

[Butterflies]

65. I SO agree with you!

I was happy to vote for him to become Virginia's Lt. Governor, Governor and then Senator. He is a kind person and also smart (the opposite of Trump). He matches up well with Hillary.

[merrily]

66. FWIW, he's not a member of the New Democrat Coalition

Also, FWIW:

In February 2011, it was reported that President Obama had joined Wisconsin's budget battle and would oppose the Republican anti-union bill. The Washington Post reported that Organizing for America, the political operation for the White House, got involved after Kaine spoke to union leaders in Madison. They made phone calls, sent emails, and distributed messages via Facebook and Twitter to work on building crowds for the rallies.[92]

.........

Kaine voted with the Democratic Party more than 90 percent of the time.[105][106] According to the Washington Post, Kaine has "crafted a largely progressive record as a senator."[107] He has reportedly good relations with Republican senators.[108]

.........

Political positions

In terms of political ideology, FiveThirtyEight gives Kaine an average score of -37 (-100 is the most liberal, and 100 is the most conservative).[124] FiveThirtyEight characterizes him as a "mainstream Democrat" and notes that his ideology score is very similar to that of Vice President Joe Biden.[124] Three conservative groups—the American Conservative Union, the Club for Growth, and Heritage Action—gave Kaine zero percent ratings in the last few years,[125] while the liberal group Americans for Democratic Action gave Kaine a 90% rating in 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Kaine

I assume his wiki was gone through with a fine tooth comb before the announcement, but, it mentions some encouraging things. I especially like the bit about Madison.

Also, he came out for Obama all the way back in February 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/14/AR2007021401272.html

[LuvLoogie]

67. Thank you for posting. K&R!

[wishstar]

69. Too bad DU posters aren't spending more time and effort bashing Mike Pence rather than Kaine

Thanks Joe for your balanced remarks about Kaine

[Her Sister]

84. Woah! You're right!

wishstar
69. Too bad DU posters aren't spending more time and effort bashing Mike Pence rather than Kaine
View profile
Thanks Joe for your balanced remarks about Kaine

[calimary]

105. Welcome to DU, wishstar!

Great day to be here! Joe made some great points here, didn't he! Really appreciate his first-hand experience. It's great testimony!

[MoonRiver]

72. Thank you!

[Skinner]

75. I have heard that everyone who has worked for Kaine loves him.

Not surprised by your post.

[Joe the Revelator]

76. Truly a case of 'to know him is to love him' nt

[jonno99]

77. k&r thanks for your insight - it's helpful to hear from folks actually know him. nt

[wildeyed]

78. Thanks for sharing your insight.

It is one thing to read about a politician's policy positions, another to have personal knowledge of their character. People who know Kaine seem to like Kaine. I think he has GREAT chemistry with Clinton too. They look happy and hopeful together. That is going to be a powerful contrast to the gloom and doom of the GOP TP ticket.

[UtahLib]

79. Thank you

for bringing the truth along with a breath of fresh air to this conversation.

[beachbum bob]

81. I get tired of those from the FAR LEFT questioning those who see a clear choice

...same crap I saw in 2000 with nader supporters who put ego first and america 2nd

Tim Kaine is good person and a great democrat

and we have a competent and experience ticket with Hillary and Kaine....and a winning ticket if all democrats get off their asses and VOTE.

We win and will win back congress and ebd the misery of conservative obstruction once and for all

[NNadir]

96. You would think, after hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq, these mindless brats would...

...have shut up, but their integrity is somewhat smaller - not somewhat actually, but noticeably - smaller than their mouths.

They, um, hold a high opinion of their own perfection, and have very low tolerance for anyone not as perfect as they are, even when they're being perfect idiots.

[beachbum bob]

97. far left zealots as dangerous as the far right.....

[oasis]

83. You sold me.

[flamingdem]

86. Thanks for this! He's a good pick

I love the speaking espanol and that he worked in Honduras. Good man.

[femmedem]

88. I loved his speech. He won my husband over, too. One question though:

he didn't mention anything about climate change, which to me is the most complex and most urgent issue we face. Maybe he didn't want to talk about such a downer during what was otherwise an uplifting speech. But do you trust him on climate change?

[Joe the Revelator]

95. He fought coal in Virginia. Which would have gotten lesser candidates ridden out on a rail...

He's pragmatic on coal (innovation in the industry) while realizing that you can't leave the people in states like WVA and western va without a plan.

He's on the record saying that humans have to do something about climate change. It's an issue he takes seriously and can talk about in a way that gets people in coal country to listen.

I like this article. Its in line with how he and Warner won the conservative western parts of Virginia, by not being afraid to talk to people who need to hear the message the most.

http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/2015/08/10/kaine-to-clinton-how-to-win-a-coal-state/

[femmedem]

104. Thank you! I understand that he can't commit political suicide.

Fighting coal in Virginia is at least as impressive as fighting the NRA.

I really like the guy. I just hope he understands that pragmatically, coal will kill us all if we don't transition away, completely, soon. Historically, the planet's Arctic circle has been ice free above 450 ppm of atmospheric CO2. We're consistently above 400 now, and increasing the rate at which we emit it. The last few years it's been 3-4 ppm. A crashed economy is a tragedy, yet in comparison, an easy thing to fix.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your response, and you've helped me get enthusiastic about the election again.

[SunSeeker]

89. K & R

[glennward]

90. And he will be a great President in 2020 04 2024. nt

[HR_Pufnstuf]

94. I thought its was Tim's pro stance on the War on Drugs..

..that did it for ya.

[emulatorloo]

102. Thanks for the first hand report. Was among the skeptical but coming around

Appreciate you posting this.

[The Green Manalishi]

109. Most of the time you have to support the best person running, not the 'ideal'.

I don't have to agree with every position and idea of a candidate to vote for them when the alternative is batshit crazy evil.

[heaven05]

115. we as Democrats

left, center and right better get our shit together! The New Nazi Party of America is on the march, all that is missing is the torchlight parades. If this man slips in under the wire and through the front door at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. we will see that also. Just like the klan march down that avenue in the early 20th century.

[BlueMTexpat]

117. Lovely OP!

Thanks!

[pnwmom]

119. K&R