It got overshadowed—although not entirely—by the new Democratic National Committee email leak scandal, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s selection of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate was supposed to be a momentum builder going into this week’s national convention.
According to the mainstream media, Kaine, 58, is a “safe” vice presidential choice. But just how “safe” is he for evangelicals?
As Governor of Virginia, the Jesuit Catholic was a firm supporter of gun control measures, signing an executive order taking away gun rights for anyone deemed “mentally unstable.” Since joining the Senate, he has been a staunch advocate for curtailing Second Amendment protections.
Although he professes to be “personally opposed” to abortion, he’s been unwavering in his support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. As a senator he has earned a 100-percent rating from Planned Parenthood.
Meanwhile, as governor, he vetoed eight bills that would have expanded capital punishment in Virginia. He also pushed for mandatory HPV vaccinations for girls, and (in direct opposition to his stated campaign position) cut funding for abstinence-only birth control programs.
He opposed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would protect biblical marriage, and later announced his support for same-sex “marriage.” As a senator, he has pushed to make sexual orientation a protected class for employment in the U.S.
Again, in direct opposition to a stated campaign position, Kaine announced in 2011 he supports the “right” of same-sex couples to adopt children. Virginia state law prohibits such adoptions.
In a nutshell, while he may be billed as a Blue-Dog Democrat who is pro-Chamber of Commerce, his record suggests he’s far more progressive-liberal than left-of-center conservative Democrat. And the Donald Trump campaign was quick to pounce.
Senior communications adviser Jason Miller said Kaine’s pick was “only fitting” in that Clinton selected another “ethically challenged insider” in Kaine. He provided an array of links to mainstream media articles that demonstrate how the senator “personally benefited from the rigged system.”
“While serving in government, Kaine has taken tens of thousands of dollars in freebies—more than $160,000 in fact—on free vacations, free clothes, and free tickets,” he said. “If you think Crooked Hillary and Corrupt Kaine are going to change anything in Washington, it’s just the opposite. They do well by the current system, while the rest of America gets left behind.”
Kaine fired back in his first official appearance as Clinton’s running mate on Saturday.
“When Donald Trump says he has your back, you better watch out,” he said. “From Atlantic City to his so-called university, he leaves a trail of broken promises and wrecked lives wherever he goes.
“We can’t afford to let him do the same thing to our country, and folks, we don’t have to, because Hillary Clinton is the direct opposite of Donald Trump.”
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