So the rumors du jour in the Veepstakes are that a pair of governors named Tim are getting scrutiny from the respective campaigns. The Tim that McCain is considering is our old pal Tim Pawlenty, governor of our fair state, while the Tim that might have caught Obama's eye is Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia. So will either of these Tims lead their searchers to the Holy Grail?
I understand the logic of both picks. T-Paw has been a loyal McCain supporter throughout and has been an effective surrogate for McCain out on the road. He's certainly had his share of success here in Minnesota, especially winning in 2006 in what was in retrospect a very tough year for Republicans. We all know his strengths and weaknesses pretty well here in Minnesota, although you'd get disagreement regarding what specifically those strengths and weaknesses are, depending on who you talk to. He's smart, affable and politically adroit, but you have to wonder if he wouldn't be susceptible to getting the Dan Quayle treatment once he hits the national stage.
Kaine has been governor of Virginia since 2006. He is, like all Virginia governors, limited to one term. He has had some success but the word you hear about him is that he's pretty ho-hum and it's not clear that he could deliver the state to Obama. Like most Democrats, he's popular in Fairfax County but not so much elsewhere. He's Catholic and has been fairly pro-life by Democrat standards, which might be a deal-breaker for some of the feminists that Obama will need. The biggest knock on Kaine is that he has run big budget deficits. The one thing I didn't know about Kaine until recently is that he was born in St. Paul.
Bottom line - these two guys would certainly be adequate vice presidents, but it's difficult to see that either would bring any real benefit to their respective tickets. I'd like to see McCain be bolder. I'd like to see Obama pick someone with a little more gravitas. The problem is the ideal candidate to run with the Lightworker is this guy, and he hasn't been available for a long time now.
2 comments:
I'd bet a lot that the Kaine trail balloon is going to go down in flames. The fact that his name has even been floated is pissing a lot of people off over on this side of the aisle.
And hey, posts about Bob Newhart and Scoop Jackson in the same week. Now that's some blogging I can get behind.
Mark,
couldn't agree with you more on both prospects. I don't mean to knock either potential running mate, but if thiese are the choices of both candidates, it seems to me like they are following the maxim "first, do no harm'. Neither will generate much excitement, nor do much to move the football.
Rich
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