July 23, 2016

NYT: Tim Kaine is an "old-fashioned liberal, dyed in the wool."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/politics/tim-kaine-history.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article

But his calm, even temperament — when angry, he is apt to say he is “steamed” — leads to misguided assumptions about his core beliefs. At heart, Mr. Kaine is an old-fashioned liberal, dyed in the wool.

Driven by Jesuit ideals, he represented death row inmates and victims of housing discrimination in Richmond, winning a $100.5 million verdict in a redlining case against Nationwide Insurance (it was overturned on appeal, and his team negotiated a $17.5 million settlement). He was so touched by his clients that Rhonda Harmon, a lawyer who worked with him on the housing case, said she once found him poring over papers at his desk “with tears in his eyes.”

He gets an F rating from the National Rifle Association, but a perfect score from Planned Parenthood, despite his personal opposition to abortion, which he says is a matter of his Roman Catholic faith.

SNIP

“I don’t want to say anything bad about him, because he’s a very nice guy, but I don’t want to say anything good about him because I’m a Republican,” said Speaker William J. Howell of the Virginia House of Delegates.

SNIP



___________________________

Please note: though the article says he has a "personal opposition to abortion," the reason he gets a perfect score from Planned Parenthood is because he supports a woman's right to make the decision without interference from the government, and he fully supports Roe v. Wade.

July 22, 2016

CNN: Munich shooting may delay VP announcement.

I'm glad - but not surprised -- Hillary is being strategic about this.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/22/politics/hillary-clinton-vp-pick/index.html

In light of a shooting rampage in Munich, the Clinton campaign is discussing how to balance their plan to pull the conversation away from the GOP convention -- and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's acceptance speech -- to her vice presidential pick, according to a source familiar with deliberations.

The campaign was going to put out name of running mate Friday afternoon, likely by a text message to supporters. But now they are dealing with a conundrum: how to avoid a split-screen situation with Clinton announcing her running mate alongside the attack in Germany.

They considered the difficulties the Trump campaign had balancing the announcement of his running mate, Mike Pence, with the Nice attack, to show he could not recognize the significance of what was happening in France. They're trying to avoid same optics, especially since one of her assertions in campaign is she is the steady hand more equipped to deal with serious matters of international affairs and national security.

The former secretary of state slowly whittled down her list to four top contenders: Kaine; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Labor Secretary Tom Perez; and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

July 22, 2016

Tim Kaine is expected at a R.I. fundraiser tonight, and at a Nantucket event tomorrow.

But of course he could always cancel those events and turn up in Florida. Who knows?

Hillary sure knows how to build up anticipation.



http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20160722/possible-clinton-running-mate-tim-kaine-expected-in-ri-tonight

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, considered the front-runner to be Hillary Rodham Clinton’s choice for vice president, is headed to Rhode Island on Friday, his spokeswoman confirmed.

Kaine was in Boston for a noon fundraiser. He was expected to join Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, a fellow Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, for a Reed fund-raiser in Rhode Island on Friday evening, according to Reed's spokesman, Chip Unruh.

SNIP

When CNN asked him about the vice presidency at Logan Airport, Kaine said, “No news to report.”

The Boston Globe reported the Kaine is scheduled to be on Nantucket on Saturday at the Chanticleer Garden for a 5:30 pm reception.

July 22, 2016

Reality check: few sane, healthy people could stand to watch that interminable Trump speech.

So CNN's online poll queried a self-selected group of unbalanced people.

Don't worry about it.

July 22, 2016

Kaine's not my favorite, but he's a "populist-leaning liberal" according to an analysis

of his record by ontheissues.org

So if he's the nominee, I hope people will stop calling him a right-winger. It's not a fair description of the man, who was a very popular Governor in Virginia.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Tim_Kaine.htm

July 22, 2016

Tempers are flying among CNN commentators, but most of them HATE THE SPEECH.

How are the other networks reacting?

July 22, 2016

Back in 2008, Joe Biden was NOT my preferred choice for V.P. Was he yours?

I was hoping he'd choose Hillary. I thought they'd make a good team.

Biden had diarrhea of the mouth sometimes, and I hated the way he handled the Anita Hill hearings. Truthfully, I hadn't yet been able to forgive him for that.

And yet what did I know? He's turned out to be a great ally for President Obama and a real asset as V.P.

That's why I trust Hillary to make the right decision FOR HER. She's been considering a number of excellent choices, but she's the one who will have to work closely with this person for, hopefully, the next eight years.

So I'm going to trust that she knows more than I do about what she needs and who can do the job.

She's got this.

July 21, 2016

Babies and i-pads.

I just went to a family wedding, and there was a 4 year old taking pictures of people with his i-pad.

Cute.

But I found out later that this little boy is stuck to his i-pad, morning, noon, and night. They started putting it in the playpen with him when he was under a year old, and now it's with him at home all the time. They even have it in a case so it can go in the tub!

They're worried that he's not social. (Duh.) Now they've just moved and they're hoping in the new neighborhood he'll find some kids to play with. Except he doesn't know how to play.

Meanwhile, what do all the tech people that I know do? They restrict screen time. All screen time. Severely. They know that their own brains didn't develop while glued to i-pads, and their kids' brains shouldn't either.

The only time my daughter allows my granddaughter on the i-phone is when she's getting her vaccinations. And it's an amazing analgesic. That tells us something, right?

I'm not asking for advice. Just venting. And hoping there aren't a lot of little kids in this generation like my little cousin.

July 21, 2016

The two most "breathtaking" moments of Pence's speech.

Yes, this is from Faux news, which makes it that much more amusing.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/21/two-most-breathtaking-moments-mike-pences-cleveland-speech.html

The two most breathtaking moments of Governor Mike Pence’s appearance at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednessday night bookended his speech.

The first was the instantaneously historic speech by Senator Ted Cruz, who pointedly refused to endorse the Republican nominee while not-so-tacitly using the words of the Never Trump movement in urging Republicans to “vote their conscience.”

The second was Trump’s appearance on the stage after Pence was finished speaking, where the two displayed what could only be described charitably as the awkward body language of a couple forced to endure a bad second date.


SNIP

When the story of the 2016 Republican National Convention is written, there will be no shortage of memorable moments from which to choose. Pence’s speech will not be among them – which is exactly why Donald Trump, a man not known for sharing the spotlight – chose Mike Pence as his running mate.

July 21, 2016

Chicago Tribune: Cruz turns gangster, stabs Trump in the back.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/ct-gop-convention-cruz-trump-huppke-20160720-column.html


He encouraged members of his party to “vote your conscience.” Quicken Loans Arena erupted in boos and passionate Trump delegates went apoplectic. It’s the loudest the convention has been all week, a raucous and chaotic scene that nearly drowned out the final lines of Cruz’s speech.

Trump himself descended into the audience near his family’s seats, like an angry boss hoping to short-circuit an uprising on the factory floor. Cruz left the stage with a smile, like he had just stabbed Trump in the gut and dropped the shiv on the floor.

I imagined Cruz thinking, “Unity? I’ll show you unity, you orange-faced punk. Nobody insults my family!”

SNIP

It was the biggest moment of the GOP convention, and to Trump’s eternal chagrin, it belonged to Lyin’ Ted Cruz.

It was gutsy. A rare moment of true conviction, and perhaps even a bit of revenge.

And for one night, it made me like Ted Cruz. A lot.