Hillary Clinton Selects Tim Kaine As Running Mate

Date: July 25, 2016

Virginia Senator Has Poor Track Record On Small Business Issues

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton geared up for the Democratic National Committee convention in Philadelphia this week by announcing her selection of Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) as her running mate. Kaine was largely described as “the safe choice” for Clinton in her bid for the presidency, with the New York Times reporting that Clinton chose “a battleground state politician with working-class roots and a fluency in Spanish, traits that she believes can bolster her chances to defeat Donald J. Trump in November.” The Hill “Ballot Box” blog adds that Clinton also tweeted Kaine “is a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it.” The Washington Post reported that with her selection of Kaine, Clinton completed “a Democratic ticket that prizes experience and traditional notions of public service in a political year dominated by Republican rival Donald Trump’s unorthodox, highly personal brand of leadership.” While the Post suggested that Clinton had mulled selecting “riskier and more unconventional candidates who offered greater appeal to the party’s liberal base,” Kaine “was a longtime favorite to become Clinton’s running mate, however, in part because of the political and personal attributes she considers well-suited to the governing partnership she seeks – and in part because of the calculation that the experience of a Clinton-Kaine ticket would outgun Trump’s outsider bombast.” Bloomberg Politics explains that President Obama in 2008 had “seriously considered Kaine, then in his third year as Virginia’s governor, for vice president but ultimately passed him over in favor of the older, more experienced Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.”

Despite broad characterizations of Kaine as a strategic choice for Clinton, the Washington Examiner pointed out that when it comes to the small business community, Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D) record of service is less impressive, and he is far less of a “moderate” or “centrist” than many Democrats are claiming. The Examiner described Kaine as “a reliable liberal vote whenever one is needed,” who has only “a 17 percent rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses” when it comes to voting on policy issues with an eye towards helping small business owners.

What This Means For Small Businesses

In choosing a well-regarded member of the Democratic party establishment as her running mate, in particular one of President Obama’s potential vice presidential picks in 2008, Hillary Clinton has signaled that her Administration would be a continuation of liberal policies under the Obama Administration. It remains to be seen how this selection might shape policy, but Kaine’s track record with regard to America’s job creators is worrisome.

Additional Reading

Politico and the Wall Street Journal were among the additional outlets covering Clinton’s selection of Kaine as her running mate.

Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.

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