Va. Gov. Kaine, possible pick for VP, shares strengths, flaws with Obama

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s (D) attributes were on full display in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings.

After the April 2007 deaths of 33 people, Kaine’s convocation address to the campus, delivered without notes, featured biblical references to Job and Calvary and a forward-looking tone that gave voice to the school’s sadness and enduring spirit. Kaine later met with the wounded and the families of the deceased, and he moved quickly to restrict firearms purchases to people who, like the gunman, were mentally ill.

Both Republicans and Democrats praised Kaine’s response. Most of them already knew of his ease in talking about his Catholic faith, but they now saw his ability to connect with Virginians in the worst of times.

“The Virginia Tech community and the state at large were just reeling and grieving after that massacre,” said Virginia House Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong. “He gave one of the best speeches I’ve heard any elected official give ever, whether it’s presidents or governors. He did a lot to heal.”

If Kaine ends up as Barack Obama’s running mate, the senator from Illinois would find himself with someone who shares several of his attributes. Not unlike Obama, Kaine, 50, has shown an ability to inspire people as an elected official. His story is also similar to Obama’s; he has Kansas roots, a Harvard law degree and extensive community service, having been a Jesuit volunteer in Honduras. But Kaine, a governor for nearly three years, has yet to master the legislature, clashing with Virginia Republicans whom Democrats blame for blocking his agenda.

For instance, months after his Virginia Tech speech, the warm feelings from his appearance turned into frustration among GOP legislators, who felt that Kaine pushed too quickly for more gun control measures. While state lawmakers went along with his reforms for the mentally ill, Republicans blocked his call for required background checks on firearms purchases at gun shows.

“Because he put all of his political pressure on going after the gun-show loophole, he got a loss when he could have had a victory,” said Virginia House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R).

Still, choosing Kaine as a running mate would provide Obama with distinct electoral advantages.

Kaine is fluent in Spanish, hails from a swing state and has proved himself on the campaign trail. A former mayor of Richmond, he emerged from a contested Democratic primary and a close general election to become the lieutenant governor in 2001.

In the 2005 gubernatorial campaign, he defeated a conservative Republican who ran an ad suggesting Kaine would oppose the death penalty for Adolf Hitler. And though many credited the popularity of then-Gov. Mark Warner (D) for his gubernatorial win, state Democrats said that Kaine’s aggressive campaigning in last year’s legislative elections was a big reason the party won its first Senate majority in a decade and made its largest gains in the GOP-led House since the 1970s.

“Democrats have never had a governor who has been such a good party builder as Tim Kaine,” said state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D). “He raised more money than any Democratic governor in the past” — about $4 million — “specifically for these races. Then he went to event after event after event for candidates.”

Kaine’s demeanor meshes with Obama’s. Kaine, a former civil rights lawyer, has earned a reputation for being a listener who is less confrontational than Warner; Republicans have talked about Kaine being a “nice guy.” In television interviews and public appearances, he exudes a warm, soft-spoken vibe.

“People crave authenticity,” said Virginia Del. Margi Vanderhye (D). “Tim Kaine gets an ‘A’ in that.”

But should Obama choose Kaine, Republicans would likely hammer both Democrats for their lack of seasoning. Obama is a first-term senator, while Kaine is a first-term governor.

 “Kaine is a very capable guy and would help in Virginia, but I wonder whether Obama should pick someone with even less foreign policy experience than he has,” said Charlie Cook, editor of The Cook Political Report. He added that it’s doubtful that George W. Bush would have won the presidency in 2000 without choosing as his running mate Dick Cheney, a former defense secretary.

And Kaine doesn’t have a huge legislative body of work to stand on.

Republicans have contrasted the record of Kaine with that of his predecessor, Warner, who persuaded Republican legislators to back tax increases in a $1.4 billion budget-balancing bill and left office with an approval rating in the 70s.

“Warner would go to the gym and play basketball. Kaine is a better public speaker, but Warner is better one-on-one, spending the detail time with people to get them to vote his way,” said House Majority Whip Kirkland Cox (R).

Cox pointed to Kaine’s failure to get his $1.1 billion transportation-spending plan passed in the special legislative session he called for last month. The House voted 98-0 against the governor’s proposal to increase fees and taxes to make up for a budget shortfall. Democrats broke with Kaine because they supported a Senate plan that included a gas-tax hike, which Kaine was trying to avoid.

“I’m puzzled by it,” Cox said. “Democratic senators were not real loyal to him. You could make the case that he got them the majority.”

Kaine and his backers have responded by saying that Republicans, chastened by Warner’s and Kaine’s victories in elections, have resolved not to allow another Democratic governor to get much done. “Their word was, ‘We would not let Tim Kaine get the free ride that Warner did,’ ” said Armstrong, the House Democratic leader.

Kaine has taken to highlighting his other accomplishments. Under his watch, Virginia has been named the best state in the country in which to do business by Forbes magazine, the best-managed state by Governing magazine and the state where a child is most likely to have a successful life by Education Week.

“If the Republican leadership doesn’t recognize those things as accomplishments, I’m not sure how they define success,” said Kaine spokeswoman Delacey Skinner. Kaine’s office said the governor was on vacation and would not be available for interviews.

Both sides agree that Obama and Kaine would have few problems getting along with each other.

Obama appeared with Kaine during the 2005 gubernatorial campaign, and Kaine returned the favor by endorsing Obama in February 2007, soon after he announced his presidential candidacy. And both have talked about trying to transcend the red-blue divide, even as they’ve become mired in partisan debates.

Because of their political similarities, Cox said that an Obama-Kaine ticket reminds him of one from Democrats’ past, for better or worse.

“It’s kind of like Clinton-Gore,” he said. “It’s not the traditional pick. It wouldn’t balance the ticket.”