The New York Times may have won the Twitter Sweepstakes, as they seemed to be the first to announce Hillary Clinton’s choice for a running mate in the upcoming general election.
Clinton selected Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia to run as her Vice President on the Democratic ticket this fall.
The New York Times describes Kaine as a centrist from a swing state, a disappointing choice to Bernie Sanders supporters who would have likely preferred Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Some insight into Clinton’s decision can be found here:
In the end, Mrs. Clinton, who told PBS she is “afflicted with the responsibility gene,” avoided taking a chance with a less experienced vice-presidential candidate and felt no political need to push the historic nature of her candidacy by adding another woman or a minority to the ticket.
Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Kaine have similar centrist positions on foreign policy, education and criminal justice and they are said to share an easy rapport and a love of granular policy-making. “I do have a fondness for wonks,” Mrs. Clinton said in the PBS interview.
Asked whether Mr. Kaine was boring, Mrs. Clinton said “I love that about him.” She added, “He’s never lost an election.”
Kaine is well-liked, responsible, and popular in his home state. But, he is unlikely to excite progressives. However, he does have a good record on race issues, and is considered a liberal in social justice issues.
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It remains to be seen if this safe pick will prove wise in the general election. After such incidents as Melania Trump plagiarizing a speech from Michelle Obama and Stephen Colbert getting booted off the Republican National Convention stage, hopefully the Democrats have some excitement in store for their convention which starts Monday, July 25th.
Senator Kaine sent this tweet following the announcement:
Just got off the phone with Hillary. I’m honored to be her running mate. Can’t wait to hit the trail tomorrow in Miami!
— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) July 23, 2016
At least MC Hammer is excited:
Tim Kaine is an excellent choice !!! Good man. Here with my Brother Raul Fernandez. #ClintonKaine 💯💯💯💯 @Iam360WISE pic.twitter.com/f5k3owvlsm
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) July 23, 2016
Michael Moore, not so much:
Tim Kaine. Sigh. Trying to win votes from a middle that's no longer there. Shows old political thinking. Trump picked VP to excite the base
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) July 23, 2016
Image: Wikipedia
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