Hillary Clinton announced her VP pick last Friday. Her choice, Tim Kaine, didn't necessarily come as a shock to America. Though he wasn't on our minds as a possible pick, he certainly isn't a controversial one. In fact, many would claim Hillary went the safe route with Tim. Primarily because he's calm, laid back and a tad bit dull. Most Americans not too engaged in politics may have never even heard about this man before now. However, her choice could actually advance Hillary, and aid her in the race to the Oval office. With scandals of her own, albeit ones she has conquered with grace and precision, it would be beneficial to have a vice president who balances things out.
Thus without further ado, here are some things to note about the potential VP.
1. He's the senator of Virginia, and country raised
America tends to have this liking towards politicians that look like them, ones that they can relate to. Born in Minnesota from a family of welders and teachers. Kaine would appeal to the vast amount of Americans living and working in middle America, and the south. He also would appeal to the DMV area (DC, Maryland, Virginia). For obvious reasons.
2. He's a pilgrim, sort of
Like many politicians, Kaine furthered his studies at an ivy league. He graduated from Harvard Law in 1983 where their mascot is John Harvard the pilgrim. This came after completing his undergrad at the University of Missouri.
3. He's for the kids
Kaine is the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus. This caucus focuses on making sure that students of all ages regardless of race or religion, is equipped with the necessary skills for jobs in the 21st century.
4. He's supportive of #BlackLivesMatter
This is still an unanswered question. Assumptions can be made based on his political decisions and actions up to date. Kaine and his wife attend St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, VA. Which is known to be predominately black church for over 30 years. I find the theory of his support to be very intriguing, considering many people from the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the black community, in general, do not think Hillary cares for the lives of blacks. Either way, vice presidents, and presidents aren't always going to have their perspectives mirror each other perfectly.
5. He's against abortion, sort of
Abortion has always been and still is, a hot and controversial political topic. Raised a Roman Catholic, Kaine has made his personal stance against abortion. However politically, his stance isn't mirrored. The senator once said, "I have a traditional Catholic personal position, but I am very strongly supportive that women should make these decisions and the government shouldn’t intrude...In government, we have enough things to worry about. We don't need to make people's reproductive decisions for them." Sounds reasonable enough.
6. His eyebrows went viral
Google it, and look at this. That's all I'm going to say.
7. He supports gender equality
We all know women do not get the equal pay they deserve completing the same jobs as men. There is an unjustified gender pay gap that has been existent forever. Tim Kaine supports the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which essentially helps to broaden cases where employees can sue due to gender discrimination.
8. He's actually human, with human interest
As a nation we tend to forget that the people we criticize, and sometimes viciously slander, are human just like us. Not all politicians are cold, greedy and corrupted. Kaine married his college sweetheart, Anne Bright Holton, who has an incredible political career all by herself.
He also is very musical, he sings, plays the harmonica and like jazz. He even has his own band called Jugbusters. Not too shabby for a politician.
Now, whether you're voting for Hillary as a genuine supporter, or you just don't want Trump to become the 45th president of these United States. It's vital that we know a little bit more about who else will be stepping into the most established and famous office in the world, in just a short amount of time.
