Politico: Kaine 'very, very high' on VP shortlist

[nsd]

politico

As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said.

Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine.

Kaine "is getting a critical examination," the source said.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Where's Kaine been as a surrogate? Why isn't he out there?

[polichick]

6. I'll bet the veep choice will be THE surrogate while Obama is on vacation in August.

[TwilightGardener]

15. Sure--but if it's to be Kaine, they should ROAD TEST him first, see how well

he performs defending Obama. They had Biden, Bayh, Clark, Webb and Reed do it so far--where's the govs?

[polichick]

16. "where's the govs?" - good question!

[Mass]

17. He has been out on TV several times last week and on major sunday shows in the previous weeks/month

Did you miss him?

[TwilightGardener]

18. Well, he didn't make any news or impress anybody, apparently. At least not me, LOL!

[Mass]

19. That is my main beef against him.

[Barack_America]

46. He impressed me. Back in January.

I can't remember which show he was on. By the end of the interview I thought, "this is Obama's VP". He and Barack are tight, and it clearly shows. He doesn't speak on Obama's behalf because he has to as a Dem or to fulfill some ambition, he clearly truly respects, admires and plain-out likes the guy. And the feeling is mutual.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6549608&mesg_id=6551086

[TwilightGardener]

55. Eh, I'll support him, but I don't much care for him.

[montanacowboy]

2. Bullshit

consider the source

[nsd]

3. Yes, these are the people who came up with Ann Veneman, but ...

Tim Kaine makes much more sense. This is much more likely to be real.

[thewiseguy]

5. And who do you think the VP will be?

[Cha]

4. Well, that dovetails with this thread by

grant last night.

grantcart (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-27-08 11:54 PM
Original message

"A closer look seems to confirm Kaine will be the VP Nominee"

Checking a little deeper I was surprised to find that Senator Obama and Governor Kaine share a great deal in common. Their mothers were both born in El Dorado, Kansas. They both went to Harvard law school and committed to applying themselves to community service work. They both practiced civil rights law. Governor Kaine was a part of the Obama campaign from day one."

<much more>
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6549608

[nsd]

That was a good call.

As grantcart's post makes evident, Kaine has a lot going for him.

[monmouth]

10. I am clueless on Kaine, but if Barack is happy with him, if that's

who he wants, then so be it. He, and only he, knows what and who he needs to work with, to anticipate and have the same work ethic. If he's happy, I'm happy...

[grantcart]

11. No he's clueless

[writes3000]

13. LMAO!

[jezebel]

7. I don't really know much about Kaine. I just dont want whomever O chooses to have any skeletons in

his/her closets (affairs etc)

[LostinVA]

35. I voted for him: he stands by his convictions and lives his religion

He's Catholic. He has been a lay missionary and he and his wife do a huge amount of charity and volunteer work. He is anti DP. And, no matter how much some DUers say it isn't so, he is also anti-choice and anti equal gay rights. He isn't a hypocrite, but there are many other better choices.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. DP?

[ruggerson]

41. I was hoping you would weigh in on this

thanks.

[LostinVA]

42. You're quite welcome

He's a great choice for VA Gov, but I don't want him as VP.

[lurky]

8. Hmmm... He's still in his first term.

I would think Obama would want someone to balance his perceived lack of experience.

[Cha]

22. First term as Guv of Virginia but not

inexperienced.

[Coexist]

23. Virginia only allows one term, I believe.

[LostinVA]

36. He can only serve one consecutive term

[Thrill]

9. Kaine is my favority pick. Followed by Schweitzer

[tekisui]

14. I think it will be Schweitzer.

Kaine sounds too much like mccain. We can't confuse the low info voters.



And, Schweitzer is great!

[yardwork]

21. That might work in our favor. Low info voters are likely to be lurching toward McCain

if some of them get confused and accidentally stab at the Obama/Kaine name on the ballot, that's to our benefit.

[woolldog]

25. Schweitzer's name sounds too foreign.

Obama/Schweitzer? too many syllables.

Obama/Kaine works better. Obama/Webb. Again, simple and strong. Obama/Bayh sounds kind of odd, but still simple. But the double "ba" sound (bama, bye) seems weak.

[writes3000]

12. Wikipedia already has the politico report on it. Creepy.

I like Kaine for VP.

[muryan]

20. Not to mention many of the staffers who got Kaine elected

Are now working in Chicago, and have been working for Obama for almost two years now

[Cha]

24. Oh yeah!

Cool.

[TexasObserver]

26. grantcart made a good case for, and I must admit, I'm thinking Kaine may be it

Virginia, Missouri and Minnesota would be three good states to have help winning. Kaine is to the right of Obama on social issues and religion. He's bilingual, I think.

Now that Obama's foreign trip went so well, he is probably less inclined to go with a gray haired VP like Biden. The downside of getting older guy is that it implies he needs an older guy for the VP.

I'm all-in on Obama, so whoever he picks, I'm down with it.

[ErinBerin84]

27. haha, this comment on Wonkette cracked me up.

"I can see the bumper stickers now... 'O.K. in 0'8!"

[writes3000]

30. Cool! I like that bumper sticker! n/t

[VolcanoJen]

28. Wait! I think I've heard this song before!

Headfake!

[darius15]

29. Let's just wait

and see what happens

[salonghorn70]

31. A Question For All Of you

I love Kaine. I think that he would be a great choice. I also Love Bayh. I think that he would be a great choice. And for the record, I think that any of the choices that are being mentioned would be great but Kaine and Bayh are my favorites. I like both Kaine and Bayh because both are closer to my politics. Both are probably more to the right than most on DU.

I sense that even though Bayh and Kaine are very close when it comes to politics, Kaine seems more acceptable than Bayh to most on DU. Why is that? Or am I misreading?

[Sparkly]

32. Good question.

I hope neither are chosen, so at least I'm consistent.

I respect your views, though! Maybe you should start a new thread asking your question. :hi:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

40. I will never forget Bayh's response to an old lady immediately

after the 04 election when she asked "how do we know if our votes were counted
fairly?" Bayh acted like he never even heard anything about the questions
about fraud and suppression. He said that he thought everything was on the
up and up. He was totally ignorant about it. I hope he doesn't pick
him! Plus - he couldn't hold his own against a repuke recently on a talk
show.

[kimbo fleiss]

33. It'll be Tim Kaine

And it's going to happen this week.

[Dinger]

34. Oh Great (nt)

[Sparkly]

38. lol

I share your enthusiasm. :rofl:

[Dinger]

50. Yeah, Like Whoopee

yay

[scarletwoman]

37. And we should pay attention to Politico -- a right wing corpo-media blog -- why? (nt)

[DFLforever]

51. Ben Smith seems to have pretty good contacts in the Obama

campaign...which makes me think this story is being deliberately leaked.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. what they said about each other...

Kaine showed what that friendship meant when, in February 2007, he threw his endorsement to Obama -- one of the first major elected officials to do so.

"Senator Obama is just in a completely different category than anybody I've ever stood on a stage with," Kaine said in the late Janaury 2007 interview with Post editors and reporters. "There is just a feeling of, you know, kind of a projection of hope on him from an audience that is just unreal. It's unreal."

Obama, too, has an obvious fondness for Kaine. At an event kicking off his general election campaign in Bristow, Va., Obama said of Kaine: "When you're in the political business, there are a lot of people who are your allies, there are a lot of people who you've got to do business with, but you don't always have a lot of friends. The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is my friend."

[malik flavors]

44. Kaine is a brilliant campaigner. I love when he starts talking spanish. Very charismatic.

[Barack_America]

47. He has a similar ability to diffuse nastiness with charm...

He fits in well to the Obama campaign philosophy with that skill.

And the storyline with the two of them could not be better.

[Cha]

48. It's was amazing to me when I read his bio that

he speaks fluent Spanish! And, his wife is the daughter of a former Republican Governor of Virginia:)

[Barack_America]

53. The former-missionary bit is also highly appealing...

Considering McCain's notable weaknesses with fundies.

[arewenotdemo]

45. As an ex-Ohioan and present Virginian

I'd rather see Sherrod Brown chosen.

Even though Ohio has disappointed us so recently, I think it's a better bet than Virginia.

And Brown would cement that, IMO.

[grantcart]

49. Something seemed to take Brown out of consideratin early on

but I can't remember what it was.

Did he say he didn't want to be considered?

[Barack_America]

54. I believe that was Strickland...

I don't know what Brown's story is.

[Barack_America]

52. Just happy to see Kaine finally get serious attention.

He had me sold in January.