Tim Kaine's DNC speech shows why Hillary Clinton made him her running mate

When Hillary Clinton announced Tim Kaine as her running mate in the presidential election, it came as a surprise to many for quite a few reasons. Several observers were expecting either a Latino politician (Tom Perez, Julian Castro, Xavier Becerra and Ken Salazar were frontrunners) or a female (read Elizabeth Warren) to be chosen. Others found that Kaine’s views on a hot button topic like abortion did not match those of Clinton and it could cause trouble later. A deeper look into Kaine’s political career, however, proves that actually, it was not such a surprising choice after all.

Yes, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is not comfortable with abortion. According to OnTheIssues.org , he claimed in 2005 that he has “a faith-based opposition to abortion.” However, that does not mean he is favour of banning the practice either, the way Republicans believe. “It shouldn’t be outlawed,” he said in 2008. He supports Roe versus Wade (a landmark abortion case), promotes abstinence and believes women must be given the right to make healthcare decisions.

Compare this to Clinton’s stand on abortion. According to CBS News , Clinton stated during a Democratic debate in March, “Under Roe versus Wade, women have this right to make this highly personal decision with their family. We’ve got to continue to stand up for a woman’s right to make these decisions and to defend Planned Parenthood.”

If they differ on anything related to abortion, it is the source of funding, but as The Wall Street Journal points out , even that difference is not a significant one. Clinton believes that the Hyde Amendment, which does not allow federal funds to be used for abortion, must be repealed. Kaine, however, supports the amendment. But WSJ quoted a campaign spokesperson as saying that despite his personal views, Kaine “is committed to carrying out Secretary Clinton’s agenda.” There goes that debate. If anything, it only portrays Kaine as a leader who is willing to listen to his people rather than enforcing his opinions on everyone.

One of the reasons that Democrats were wondering if Clinton will pick a Hispanic running mate was because immigration has become a vital issue this election. And the constituency that is desperately hoping for reform in this sector is the Latino votebank.

Outgoing president Barack Obama has been a keen advocate of immigration reform and the Supreme Court’s indecision on the DREAM Act was a big blow to immigration activists. Clinton has also advocated immigration reform; she says on her official website , “If we claim we are for family, then we have to pull together and resolve the outstanding issues around our broken immigration system. The American people support comprehensive immigration reform not just because it’s the right thing to do—and it is—but because they know it strengthens families, strengthens our economy, and strengthens our country… We can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship.”

A Hispanic running mate would have ensured that Democrats will bag the Latino vote. Historically, the Latino voters have been supporters of the Democratic Party: In the 1992 and 1996 elections, Bill Clinton received 61 percent and 72 percent respectively of the Latino vote, according to the organisation, Latino Vote Matters . In 2000, 62 percent of the Latino voters chose Al Gore, while 58 percent wanted John Kerry in 2004. That number increased significantly during the 2008 and 2012 elections when 67 percent and 71 percent of Latino voters cast their ballots for Barack Obama.

With the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump alienating Hispanics several times – whether it’s by calling Mexican immigrants rapists or demanding their deportation – it is only more likely that the Latino voters will turn towards Clinton. But nothing can be taken for granted in this election, as the very rise of Trump shows. Choosing a Latino politician may have garnered Clinton votes, but it would also mean pushing other voters to accept two firsts for the country — a female president and a Latino vice president — at the same time. Unhappy voters may either turn towards Trump or simply abstain from voting, both of which are disastrous for the Clinton campaign.

Kaine is the perfect choice because he and Clinton are on the same ground when it comes to immigration reform. In fact, Kaine created history in 2013 when he became the first senator to give a speech in Spanish (or any language other than English) in the Senate. And the subject of his speech? Immigration. According to his official website , Kaine was voicing his support for the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernisation Act. He actually said, “I think it is appropriate that I spend a few minutes explaining the bill in Spanish, a language that has been spoken in this country since Spanish missionaries founded St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. Spanish is also spoken by almost 40 million Americans who have a lot at stake in the outcome of this debate.”

Kaine flaunted his Spanish skills again during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday. “When I lived in Honduras, I learned that the best compliment you could give someone was to say they were listo– ready,” he said. “Not intelligente — smart. Not amable — friendly. Not rico — rich. But listo. Because what listo means in Spanish is prepared, battle-tested, rock-solid, up for anything, never backing down. And Hillary Clinton is lista.”

Kaine’s bilingualism can be seen as an effort to draw in the Latino voters without alienating the average white American. Of course, not all Latinos were happy with this middle ground.

Speaking Spanish is not the only qualification to win over Latino voters. Mainstream political media needs to stop that narrative now.

— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) July 23, 2016

Rather than just speaking Spanish, please try engaging with us a whole person. Not a language, not a class, not any one thing. Whole people.

— 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚙𝚒𝚡𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 🍉 (@mathewrodriguez) July 23, 2016

As Kaine continues on the campaign trail, his interviews to Spanish media are only going to increase. And he still has three months to convince the Hispanics that just because Castro didn’t get the nomination doesn’t mean they are going to be shortchanged.

In fact, NBC News reports that Castro, Becerra and Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who had endorsed Castro are now supporting Kaine. Palomarez told NBC News, that Kaine is “a great choice.” Part of the reason he believes that is because Kaine has worked extensively on the Senate Task Force for Corporate Diversity set up by Sen. Bob Menendez.

Kaine’s likeability is already drawing attention from voters across the board. As one Twitter user put it while listening to Kaine’s speech:

There are jokes being made about how Kaine can take over the ‘Cool Uncle’ crown from Joe Biden. And his takedown of Donald Trump also garnered a lot of praise. He used statements made by Republicans themselves to attack Trump and why his catchphrase ‘Believe me’ is rubbish:

“Don’t take it from me. Take it from former First Lady Barbara Bush. She said she didn’t know how any woman could vote for him after his offensive comments. Or John McCain’s former economic advisor — who estimates Trump’s promises would cost America 3.5 million jobs. Or the independent analysts that found Trump’s tax plan, a gift to the wealthy and big corporations, would rack up $30 trillion in debt. Or John Kasich, the Republican governor who had the honour of hosting the Republican Convention in Cleveland but wouldn’t even attend it because he thinks Trump is such a moral disaster. Or take it from the guy who co-wrote Trump’s autobiography. For Trump, he said, ‘Lying is second nature to him.’ So, do you believe him? Does anybody here believe him?”

Kaine comes across as a leader willing to consider views that are different from his own, is able to speak Spanish, can effectively take down Trump and most likely, even Mike Pence. Considering all this, Kaine is the right choice for Clinton.