This last Friday Grand Rapids was privy to Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine making a speech and appearance in our very own Wealthy Street Theater. I was fortunate enough to be able to get a seat in the theater and watch the electric array of speakers.
The line to get into the 400 seat venue stretched down the block and around to the next street. There was a definite air of excitement with a line that stretched around the block. The audience was decidedly positive and vocal with frequent cheers of support. A notable moment was when the crowd went absolutely wild with the introduction of Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow.
The headliner of the event was of course Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine. Tim Kaine was able to rile up the crowd and keep their rapt attention with a snappy, straightforward, and supportive speech highlighting his person and the differences between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump with three questions.
The first question was: do you want a ‘You’re Hired’ or ‘You’re Fired’ president?
Kaine then went into highlighting Clinton’s detailed job plan that according to an independent analysis by Mark Zandi, a former economic adviser to John McCain, will create 10.4 million jobs. This nonpartisan appraisal of the ‘100 Day Jobs’ plan is lauded to be the “largest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II”.
Kaine highlighted that this impressive job growth will be done through large scale investment in infrastructure, clean energy production and American manufacturing. The main talking point of his speech was increasing good-paying jobs and employment.
The second question:Do you want a bridge-builder or a trash-talker?
Kaine then highlighted Hillary Clinton’s past positions as an armed services committee member and chief diplomat of the United States drawing her as a bridge builder. There were positive remarks about the necessity for moral example and other means of strength than military prowess.
The third question was: Do you want a ‘Kids and family first’ president or a ‘Me first’ president?
The consensus was kids and family. Kaine went on to illustrate his and Clinton’s dedication to children and and family support throughout their careers. He focused upon Hillary Clinton’s involvement in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
There was a sense of solidarity in all of his remarks in relation to Clinton and an emphasis on their slogan "Stronger Together". He did spend most of his time supporting Clinton and putting down Trump.
There was a personable air to Kaine’s speech as he shed light on personal anecdotes including his son’s involvement in the military, a background of how he worked in his father’s iron working shop, to his work as a Jesuit missionary in Honduras. This experience as a missionary taught him to cherish the freedom that American citizens have to participate in democracy.
There was call to arms of sorts in his rallying for the registration and participation of voters, not only in the upcoming presidential elections, but also in the local and state elections as well. Tim Kaine is one of thirty people that have served as a Mayor, a Governor and an United States Senator so his support of democratic state and local elections is not unfounded.
His most catching take-away was that, “If your vote doesn’t matter, why is the other side working so hard to stop you from voting?”
This takeaway transcends the party lines, and that transcends the candidates at hand. No matter how tempting it can be to believe that the system is broken and that your vote does not matter, if there was no power in the individual’s vote then there would be no political battleground for them.
And this battle for the 2016 presidency is unlike any other. So register, cast your ballots, participate in the democracy because this is the time when your vote counts the most.
