Millennials still lukewarm to Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine is a well-meaning but milquetoast selection for Hillary Clinton’s vice president; a too-safe choice intended to prevent rocking the boat in an election cycle that has forced the American people to choose between seasickness and jumping entirely overboard. This is the millennial Democrat’s general view of Tim Kaine.

The VP debate shifted the spotlight from Clinton and Trump to their relatively reserved counterparts. Pence was not a shock, but nobody knew what to expect from Clinton’s selection. Maybe Elizabeth Warren, or even Admiral James Stavridis? The smart money was on someone who would have a notable impact. In contrast, John Oliver’s depiction of Kaine as a “white gym sock pulled all the way up” appears startlingly accurate. He is a mild mannered, middle aged white man. 

For a generation drawn powerfully into the rhetoric of change with President Obama’s historic 2008 campaign and then again with Bernie Sanders’ primary candidacy, Kaine feels like a borderline insulting rebound in momentum.

{mosads}Without an outstanding personality or cultivating populist fervor, Kaine is at an extreme disadvantage trying to court the crowd that—just months ago—was hell bent on electing a socialist democrat. This deficit will haunt Kaine’s appeal to the youth, no matter how much Kaine likes The Replacements.

Millennials’ lackluster perception of Kaine isn’t even primarily disdain for him personally, so much as a fearful knee-jerk impulse to fight Donald Trump’s fire-with-fire. Kaine is more of a wet blanket.

It’s not all bad. Kaine wasn’t arrested for protesting like Sanders, but he fought for civil rights through legal channels. He achieved a multi-million dollar settlement from big insurance for discriminatory practices, and after he fell under criticism for using $6000 in public funds as Mayor of Richmond to support bussing for the Million Mom March, he raised the funds privately and reimbursed the city. Kaine left Harvard law school for a year to teach carpentry and welding — his father’s trade — to impoverished Hondurans as a missionary. Kaine signed an executive order to ban smoking in Virginia federal buildings and cars, in stark contrast to cigarette truther Mike Pence. 

Virginia was the first southern state to do so. Kaine’s leadership carried Virginia through the recession with minimal hardship via responsible budget cuts, and his even-keeled leadership carried the DNC through the majority of Obama’s first term. Kaine turned down the position initially, but the Obama administration personally asked him to reconsider. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kaine described his wife’s reaction to the news. He didn’t give the impression that they weren’t without regret. 

Tim Kaine isn’t a man who lusts for power, which may be why he’s perfect for the job.

This year’s race has been dominated by emotional rhetoric rather than reason or fact, a disadvantage for Kaine. Still, Sanders supporters may be more willing to swallow the bitter pill of Clinton’s presidency due to Kaine, but only if he uses his track record in policy and genuinely amiable nature to compensate his reserved nature. The ability to work with respect for others, create a bipartisan bill, or act with humility doesn’t have to be a weakness. It’s what we’ve lost, it’s what we need back. Telling political opponents to sit down and shut up can’t always be the first recourse of our politicians. Kaine might just be the bipartisan bridge that allows Clinton to enact real change. 

If Kaine markets himself this way successfully, he may become an asset to millennial outreach instead of the vanilla placeholder he is now.

Caraway is a radio host and Biomedical Sciences Senior at the University of North Florida, from Jacksonville, Florida. Follow him on Twitter @DontGetCaraway

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