The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Clinton’s strong choice of a running mate
Asked how she would decide on a vicepresidential running mate, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said a few days ago that she was “afflicted with the responsibility gene” and so would value experience and preparedness over all other considera
In choosing Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, she has picked someone not only supremely capable of serving as her No. 2 but also fully prepared — from day one — to be president.
In contrast with the cramped choices available to Republican nominee Donald Trump, a place on whose ticket did not appeal to many GOP leaders, Clinton had a rich field to choose from, including several senators and members of the House and three Cabinet members, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. No doubt some backers of other candidates will be disappointed that Clinton, who announced Kaine’s selection Friday, passed up the opportunity to make history with an all-female ticket or the first Hispanic vice presidential candidate. Those in the party’s progressive wing may be miffed that she didn’t pick someone fitting their rigid definition of liberal.
Such criticism, though, would not do justice to the strengths in experience, temperament and worldview that Kaine brings to the ticket. In every office he has held — from Richmond mayor to Virginia governor to U.S. senator — he has shown a steady hand marked by a mastery of policy details and politics. As governor, he (unlike his counterpart on the Republican ticket) did not mire the state in divisive social issues but undertook sound stewardship of the state. He was a commanding and calming presence when the horror of the Virginia Tech massacre occurred. That he is a fluent Spanish speaker, the result of his early work as a Catholic missionary in Honduras, should help Democrats with an important constituency in November and the years of governing that would follow.
Kaine is more of a liberal than many people think, but unlike some with a more firebrand reputation, he does not equate ideology with unwillingness to compromise. He genuinely believes in the value of public service and shows respect for other public servants, including those who disagree with him. He works across the aisle without compromising principle, a quality sorely in demand in Washington these days and one that will be critical if Democrats win the White House and hope to advance an ambitious legislative agenda.
That Kaine is pleasant, “just so damn likable,” as one letter writer to The Post recently observed, doesn’t mean he is soft. Indeed, it is a strength, one that is particularly welcome in this dreary election. His choice reflects well on Clinton’s judgment.