So Kaine is going to tell us to be one big happy family ARRRGH!!

[fedupinBushcountry]

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, tapped to deliver the State of the Union response for Democrats, has sharp words for both parties in Washington: Stop being so partisan, negative and irrelevant. "There's a better way," he said Monday.

Less than three weeks after taking office, Kaine is a rising star inside his party because he succeeded last November where many other Democrats have failed ? in a Southern state and in the fast-growing exurbs.

"Results matter. Planning matters. Management matters, and you can make much more progress if you do it in a bipartisan way," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060130/ap_on_re_us/state_o...


On top of that look whose top list he makes.


<> New Dem Of The Week | January 26, 2006
New Dem of the Week: Tim Kaine
Governor, Virginia

<> After just 16 days in office, Gov. Tim Kaine will introduce himself to millions of Americans outside of Virginia when he gives the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union address next week. Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said he and the Senate and House Democratic leaders chose Gov. Kaine because he is a leader who is "on the front lines every day working to help his fellow citizens." As lieutenant governor, Kaine worked with Gov. Mark Warner to enact budget, tax, and management reforms, and make key investments in education and economic development, earning Virginia the designation of "Best-Managed State" from Governing magazine. As Virginia's legislative session begins, Kaine is poised to make an impact on both national and state politics.

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=253696&subid=116&kaid=104

[ProSense]

1. His entire rebuttal

should be spent explaining the lunacy behind the for cloture vote. Who cares what Bush says? He is stupid and wrong, and that will not change come tomorrow.

[WildEyedLiberal]

4. Hahaha

"He's stupid and wrong."

THAT should be our rebuttal. Accompanied by a full moon over DC. By the entire Democratic caucus.

[Island Blue]

2. I saw this morning on one of the Norfolk stations

that the theme of his "response" was going to be bipartisanship. Ummm, let's see. One party REFUSES to do anything in a bipartisan manner and they control the Congressional Branch, the Judicial Branch, the Unitary Executive Branch (might as well get used to saying it) AND the media. The other party BENDS OVER BACKWARD to to accommodate the other party and they don't control squat. Yeah Governor Kaine, that's what the Democratic Party needs - more "bipartisanship" in Washington. :crazy:

[Mass]

3. No problem with bipartisanship, as long as you make clear

who is responsible. Kerry has argued a lot about that and about the fact that the Republicans were marching together whether they agreed or not.

Of course, if you blast both sides, it is another issue.

[wisteria]

5. This sounds like DLC bulls*t. We can play nice and get nowhere

or we can take up the cause and stand for something that the American people can understand. That's not being negative or irrelevant.Our party seems to be the only ones playing nice. Oh, and It's amazing that the only rising stars coming out of our party are from the South.

[sandnsea]

6. It's Blue Dog Bullshit

Aargh, we aren't aiming in the right damned direction.

Feinstein, Clinton, Biden, DLC

Nelson, Landrieu, Dorgan, Conrad, Blue Dogs

We've got problems with the corporate Dems, yes, but not as big as with the Blue Dogs.

[Mass]

7. This sound exactly what Obama said Sunday on MTP and that had

me yell at the TV.

Yes Washington is too partisan, but whose fault is it?

[beachmom]

8. Look, I'm glad he's my governor (imagine if it was Kilgore)

But this guy rubbed me the wrong way when he made a snark remark about Kerry "spending all his time windsurfing". So, on one hand, I support him getting things done in Virginia, but on the other, why is he doing the response? How is he going to respond about Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and al Qaeda? He doesn't have ANY expertise on this. But the one thing I will say is that this guy won Virginia Beach, while * did very well here (I still see LOTS of * stickers -- right, Fedup?). So, Tim Kaine "I'm Catholic and opposed to abortion AND the death penalty" won an election. He has political capital. The Dems are going to spend it. I know people who voted for *, but voted for Kaine who don't even come from the South.

It just sucks, guys, that the American electorate is, well, so dumb. But they are, and they like Tim bloody Kaine (in Virginia anyway) better than a hero like John Kerry. And I sit here utterly perplexed.

[TayTay]

9. I wouldn't worry about this too much

It's not that big a deal. Very few people watch the SOTU speech. A smaller percentage than that watch the Dem response. This is a tempest in a teapot.

I have no problem with Kaine giving the response. He is a newly elected Dem in a 'Red' state (which might be going purple.) He can talk about an aspect of the Dem agenda, which is that the states have to pick up the slack when the Federal govt has cut so much in funding. This approach, if we can bring it out, has a lot of merit. It does go to the heart of how people are being lied to and that the vaunted tax cuts are mere sleight of hand tricks. (The voter thinks their federal taxes are less, but fees and taxes on a state and local level have had to go up to cover the loss of federal funds.)

I like Kaine. He's not a bad guy.