Regated: On Friday, July 22, Hillary Clinton announced to the nation that Virginia Senator Tim Kaine would be her running mate for the 2016 presidential election. From the perspective of the Clinton campaign, this move is likely aimed at appealing to voters in the middle that are still on the fence about which camp to cast their vote for this November. While Kaine may be an attractive addition to the ticket for an independent, Clinton’s move to select Kaine will likely fail to unite the Democratic Party itself.
Over recent years the Democratic Party has only shifted further to the left. This is evident from the takeoff and popularity of the campaign of Bernie Sanders, who early on became Clinton’s only formidable opponent. With Clinton now standing as the presumptive nominee going into the Democratic National Convention (DNC), her choice for Vice President should have been aimed at someone who could bring Sanders supporters back into her circle. This task is going to be critically important for Clinton, especially in light of the recent DNC email leaks, which show collusion of the Democratic Party to cheat Sanders out of the race.
For this purpose, Tim Kaine is probably the worst choice that Hillary Clinton could have made. He possesses none of the passionate following from the left that Sanders or even Elizabeth Warren would have garnered. Kaine is just another bought and paid for politician.
TOOK GIFTS AS VIRGINIA GOVERNOR
This is especially reflected in his acceptance of over $200,000 in gifts while he was serving as Lieutenant Governor and subsequently Governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2010. Compared to the rest of the nation, Virginia has extremely lax ethics restrictions regarding the acceptance of gifts while in public office. Many of these gifts included private airfare, tickets to major sporting events, designer clothing and even a vacation in the Caribbean. The pharmaceutical company TEVA, one of Kaine’s givers, opened a facility in Virginia and within two years of this gift received a major economic incentive from the state, totaling over a half-million dollars. MORE