The Big Tent

There’s *LOTS* of rumors that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is Obama’s top pick for his running mate swirling right now.  Count us among those seemingly few that don’t believe the hype.

First, we remember back to 1996 and 2000, where one of our favorite Republicans, then-Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania was a “shoe-in” to be both Dole’s and Bush’s choice for VP.  In case you didn’t notice, Ridge didn’t get the nod.  But the attention paid to Ridge by the media gave both campaigns the cover and time they needed to make their decisions.

Second, we just don’t think he’d be the best candidate for Obama to pick, if he’s at all concerned with governing for all America instead of governing for all Democrats.  Dr. Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia has an excellent synopsis of the facts here, and we summarize his points below.

Benefits.

1. Personal chemistry.  Kaine and Obama have similar life stories, plus Kaine was the first non-Illinois governor to endorse the Obama campaign.
2. Emphasis on domestic issues.  Puts the campaign’s focus on domestic issues with a governor on the ballot.
3. Outside the Beltway.  Fits with Obama’s message of “change.”
4. Puts Virginia in the “lean Democrat” column automatically.  Virginia has been slowly creeping toward being a competitive state for years, a Virginian on the Democrat side of the ballot helps pull a good chunk of voters over from “undecided” quickly.
5. Special considerations.  Kaine is a Roman Catholic, white, pro-death penalty, and young.

Drawbacks.

1. Lack of experience.  Kaine hasn’t been governor for long, was lieutenant governor before that, and mayor.  His foreign affairs experience is more lacking even than Sen. Obama’s.
2. Hillary Clinton.  While Obama would be crazy to pick HRC as his running mate, he may need to throw a bone to her supporters — who still are not firmly settled with losing the primary.
3. Kaine sucks.  His administration hasn’t really accomplished anything, and the only event that he gets glowing reviews over is the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy.
4. Post-Kaine Virginia.  Moving Kaine from Richmond to Washington moves up all those “evil Republicans” into the governor’s office.

Bottom line, we think Kaine is just a cover for now, letting Obama come out and surprise everyone with his choice.  Have we been wrong before?  Definitely… Wait and see.