Hey Beachmom

[sandnsea]

I looked for a Kaine post to respond to and can't find one. I saw him on MSNBC today and guess what.... I like him!!! I have a feeling he's going to do a good job tonight and take some people by surprise. He was very confident, not shy about pointing out the failings of this president, and able to articulate a clear agenda forward. Just wanted to let you know because some of us have been a bit, uhm, leery about your governor. :)

[Mass]

1. Here is the speech - you can judge

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101246.html

I am a bad judge and clearly not the public he is intending to convince. However, I watched his debate with Kilgore and I was happily surprised because he was good.

[sandnsea]

2. Lots of good stuff

He wasn't weak on pointing out the failings of Bush, and also had solutions. He didn't use the word middle class once, which actually makes alot of working people cringe because that really means what used to be white collar. But he was weak weak weak on Iraq and terrorism, we obviously still don't have a strategy there. If he delivers it with that strong demeanor he showed today, it'll go over well. Not a Kennedy barnburner by any means, but hopefully not the weak-ass response of Locke of the Daschle-Pelosi debacle.

[beachmom]

3. Well, you know he has some good points

I think people are drawn to his strong Catholic background, including doing the missionary work. This allows him to take liberal positions like being opposed to the death penalty, and get away with it by saying it's because he is following Catholic teachings. This was clearly a winner in this state.

He said some unfortunate things about Kerry (a la windsurfing) but it was only once, so I'm willing to forgive. He's tackling the tough problems in our state (transportation is the one big problem Warner left for Kaine -- he did, after all, only have 1 term) instead of talking about stupid stuff like gay marriage and so forth. Only time will tell if he is as good a governor as Warner.

I'm half and half on him being the rebuttal. Virginia is a good contrast to Washington, because Democrats and at least some Republicans worked together to fix the budget. There are a lot of nutty bills that come out of the General Assembly (one poorly worded one said that a woman had to report a miscarriage to the police within a week, not to mention that underwear one which sadly was introduced by a "Democrat"), and it's so important that we have a Democrat as governor to say "hey, we need to work on the important stuff". My only problem with Kaine is national security. But you know, this is just one rebuttal, so I think it'll be okay.

I might tape the speech, and watch tomorrow, but I'm not planning on watching the SOTU address tonight.

[sandnsea]

4. A little weak

Better written than delivered. But since I saw him earlier and think he has a bit of fire hidden under there, I still think he's got potential.

[saracat]

5. I thought he was awful and my phone is ringing off the hook

with people asking me who the "idiot" was. Sorry, Beachmom. And I HATE the DNC mantra"together we can do better". It is stupid as is the repeated "We can do better". The anwer to that is always HOW? We need solutions and this reaching out to the GOP doesn't work. I prefer Ted Kennedy's passion, and so would much of America!

[beachmom]

6. Okay, still haven't watched but I prefer Ted Kennedy's passion, too!

If I do get around to watching it, I'll let you know what I think. I think that Mark Warner is a WAY better politician than Tim Kaine. I think it was The Economist who referred to him as "perfectly bland". Is that about right?

Still, he sure as hell beats Ed Kilgore (anyone else think he's a closeted self loathing gay man? Listen to the way he TALKED?).

[Mass]

7. For comparison, here is the translation of the Spanish language's answer

Why would this type of speech not play well in the red states? And no, I dont think it is the same that Kaine did. There may be commun themes, but the focus is way different.

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_3462300

Good evening. My name is Antonio Villaraigosa. I'm Mayor of the City of Los Angeles. And I'm a Democrat.

But I'm not just here tonight as a spokesman for my party.

I'm here as a concerned father and as a proud American.

Where else could someone like me the son and grandson of immigrants get a second chance in life and go on to become the mayor of the second largest city of the greatest nation in the world?

I'm here tonight to talk about a future in which more Americans have the same opportunity that my family had.

I'm here to say that our country's best days are ahead of us.

But I'm also talking to you tonight because I'm concerned about the direction our country is headed in.

I'm worried that too many hardworking Americans are earning less and losing faith.

And I'm concerned that we're not investing enough in our children and in our economic future.

In the end, it really doesn't matter whether you're a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent. It doesn't matter what part of this country you come from, or what language your family speaks at home. It doesn't matter whether you get to work in a fancy car or on the bus.

We are all part of one American family.

This is a great country. And we've always been strongest when we've fought hardest for one another.

Democrats are committed to bringing our country back together as the family that we should be.

We had hoped to hear the same from the President tonight.

Instead we heard the same defense of the very policies that have divided this country over the last five years.

So, let's talk about the real state of the union.

Next month, because of the reckless policies of this administration, America's national debt will rise to nearly $8.2 trillion dollars. I am here tonight to say: we are mortgaging our children's futures, and it is morally wrong.

Today, 46 million Americans and 39 percent of Latinos, many of whom work full-time at the hardest jobs, don't have access to health insurance. We can't be a healthy nation if we don't face this challenge once and for all.

Today, 6 million children are on the verge of failing out of school; and eleven million Americans can't read a bus schedule or fill out a job application. It is time to put the issue of fixing our public schools to the front and center of the national debate.

Under this administration, 4 million people have fallen from the working class into the ranks of the poor. And the new jobs that are being created pay less than the ones we've lost. We need an aggressive national strategy to build the skills of our workforce and to promote America's competitiveness in the global economy.

Our troops are serving bravely in the Middle East, but Americans are increasingly divided and doubtful about the objectives of this mission.

We owe it to our men and women in uniform and to the families awaiting their safe return to present a clear and credible plan to complete the job and bring them home.

The truth is that together, America can do better. And it starts with restoring our sense of national community.

My mother, Natalia, taught me this. A women of indomitable spirit. A single mother who raised four kids in East Los Angeles. Who rode the bus nearly every day of her life. Who worked two jobs just to put me and my siblings through college.

In her quiet way and in her infinite grace, she taught us all the things worth knowing. She taught us about working hard. About the obligation we all have to create a better life for our kids. And about a set of values that says that there is nothing--nothing in the world--as important as family.

And as we grew up, we came to understand that the obligations that she talked about extend beyond our doorsteps. And beyond our neighborhoods. That the child who doesn't finish high school, that the small business owner trying to make their dreams come true, that the mother looking to provide affordable quality health care for her children they are our family too.

Democrats want to end the Culture of Corruption and bring honesty and integrity back in government.

Democrats want a health care system that will cover everybody.

Democrats want a strong public education system.

Democrats want to create jobs and make America energy independent.

Democrats want comprehensive immigration reform that respects our neighbors, makes America safer and stronger, and that gives hardworking people who play by the rules a greater opportunity to realize the American Dream.

Democrats want a strong national security based on telling the truth to our citizens, our soldiers, and our allies.

Above all, Democrats want to unite this country again.

We need your voices and your vision. And above all, we need your participation.

We are all in this together. And as Coretta Scott King reminded us, God bless her soul, we are all Americans. Thank you. God bless America. God bless you all.

[beachmom]

8. I watched it. Here are my comments.

I felt that Tim Kaine did an excellent job and furthered our cause. There are a lot of people who are not partisan at all, and will be attracted to his talk of service. Gov. Warner and Gov. Kaine have similary goals as Kerry. They just talk about it a little differently because they're not in Washington. It was a good "a view from out in the country" speech. We are so used to Washington talk, that I can understand, Saracrat, why you are unimpressed. I was impressed. I can't see many taking shots at him for what he said. Andrew Sullivan went as far to say this was the best Democratic response in 5 years. Since I don't recall any of the others, I don't know if he's right, but it was very strong. I also don't agree with Arianna Huffington -- a lot of Americans are mad about Iraq (even Republicans) but many of them are turned off by the hard Left language, too. Kaine said "inaccurate information" in regards to the lead up to the war. It's the same thing as "misled", but it comes across as softer, while, IMO, retaining the true meaning -- that * f***ed up big time. He also threw in how 140,000 kids now have health insurance in Va. and didn't 4 years ago. That's the thing that I'm trying to drive home to my Kerry friends all over the country -- Warner (and now Kaine) may talk in a more conciliatory "let's just get along" language, but their actions are completely in line with good progressive values.

I give him an A-.