DNC CHAIR TIM KAINE? Virginia Governor To Become Next Chairman Of Democratic Party

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has selected Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, two Democrats said Sunday.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on a condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been officially announced. The Washington Post first reported the selection Sunday on its Web site.

Kaine plans to work at the party part-time until 2010, when his term as governor is up and he can take over the DNC full-time.

Current DNC chairman Howard Dean plans to step down Jan. 21, the day after Obama's inauguration.

Obama has also chosen Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, who directed his successful campaign battleground state strategy, to run day-to-day operations at the party as executive director.

With Democrats controlling the White House and Congress, the new DNC chairman will be responsible for reinforcing the White House message, preparing for the 2010 midterm elections and raising money.

The Republican National Committee is set to decide in the coming weeks between six candidates for chairman, including current head Mike Duncan, who is running for re-election. The new RNC head will be expected to take the lead in responding to the Democratic administration as well as rebuilding a party left in tatters after sweeping defeats in two straight elections.

Kaine campaigned vigorously for Obama in Virginia during his presidential run. The day after the election, Kaine said Obama's triumph in the state _ the first for a Democrat seeking the presidency in 44 years _ was the apex of everything he had worked for since law school.

Kaine was mentioned as a possible running mate after Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination; Delaware Sen. Joe Biden eventually won that spot. After the election, Kaine was mentioned as a potential choice to serve as education secretary; Obama instead chose Chicago schools superintendent Arne Duncan. In November, Kaine said he wasn't interested in the DNC job.

He won election to the Virginia governor's office in 2005. In January 2006, he was chosen to deliver the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union address.

Virginia law prohibits an incumbent governor from running for re-election.

A former DNC chairman, Terry McAuliffe, said Saturday he intends to run for governor of Virginia. In a video posted on his Web site, McAuliffe said he will make his intention to run official on Wednesday as part of a weeklong campaign kickoff.

McAuliffe faces two other Democrats who have been active for nearly a year in an already contentious nomination fight to succeed Kaine. State Sen. Creigh Deeds narrowly lost the attorney general's race in 2005, and former House Democratic Caucus chairman Brian Moran is also in the race.

The Democratic nominee will face Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell, who is unchallenged for his party's nomination, in the Nov. 3 election.

Comments

[Bitsko]

Oh my. A southern Irish Catholic. Will wonders never cease? Go to it, Tim!

[peachfuzz]

I hope they keep following Dean's strategy.

[thirtyninesteps]

LMAO

[FogBelter]

Nothing against Tim Kaine, but I am curious why Howard Dean's model for success was utilized by Obama in his pursuit of the White House and yet Dean is rewarded with no position in the Obama Administration and looks to be headed for the wilderness?

Something is up. I'm hoping that Obama doesn't turn out to be a closet DLC member. Then again, if Obama was that would be fine. The DLC strategy has been as damaging to the US as that of the Bushites and NeoCons ... so as pleasant a place in history as that of Bush43 would await Obama44 should he continue the DLC ideology. I'm probably being overly cynical.

[marinade]

Howard Dean speaks for us. All the rest speak to us.

[vjoseph]

Yeah, you are overly cynical

[FogBelter]

I hope so.

[MyLowell]

isn't kaine a social conservative?

[JDJase]

He's one of those iffy ones...the "i'm really a social liberal but i either pretend to be conservative or dont talk about it at all because i live in a conservative state" kind of dems

[NCYvonne]

That is NOT true. Tim Kaine has been very outspoken about his personal religious beliefs. In fact, when he ran for governor he stated emphatically where he stood on choice, death penalty, stem cells-- personally and professionally.

His frank, mature dialogue on those issues won him the election.

[ema]

He's anti-choice.

[JDJase]

No, he's pro-life but said he would not do anything to take away choice. He's a pro-life-p­ro-choicer­.

[NCYvonne]

Not true. He's personally pro-life because he's a devout Catholic. He's also against the death penalty. But he has stated since being elected governor that, despite his firmly held personal beliefs, he will enforce and support the law of the land in both cases.

[guajiro]

He's a Clinton conservative. He'll vote the way Big-Corporate wants, in order to get some breadcrumbs passed for the people.

[JDJase]

I guess I was unaware that a Governor could "vote" any way.

[iwantpie]

Yes, and what is wrong with that? I'm a social conservative myself who had voted for the last 3 Democratic presidential candidates. The Democratic party is a tent consist of Liberal, Moderate, and Conservative Democratic, so please know the party you're in before commenting.

[tel8034]

Good choice ..........­..........­....... But why did those 2 democrat "officials" see the need to spill the beans before Obama himself could make the announcement?

With everyone wanting their 15 minutes of fame, the 60 minutes on the clock will be quickly used up.

[chicagoike]

Tim Kaine had nowhere to go, he can't run for Governor and both senators are Dem, so this was a natural fit for him.

[anewdayinDC]

I think this is a FINE choice. Just based on relationship dynamics I think this will be a good thing.

[zoraksferal]

Wow... I love it. Have they lost theirs minds? I mean, the Republicans are booting out their head because of the massive losses... umm... so the Dems are changing theirs because they... don't like victory? I just don't understand it... at all. And why Kaine. I feel there would have been far better choices.

[305Rider]

Howard Dean has always said that he only wanted to serve 1 term as DNC chair.

[moda31]

um dean said he was stepping down long before the election, apparently he just doesn't want the dnc job anymore; it's not like obama is kicking him out.

[rzan1]

This may be off topic, but I am disappointed that Howard Dean is not holding an important job in President Obama's cabinet. He is a brilliant and gifted man. It is not as if he doesn't have a job to fall back on. He is a physician, but he is also a gifted politician, and I hope he will not be gone for long from the scene.

[avraamjack]

It is not off topic and you are correct.

It would be a great injustice to not give Howard a juicy executive branch position.

.

[banja]

I agree, it's one of my issues with Obama. He needs to appoint Dr Dean may be as the deputy at HHS to run the other aspects of the dept since Daschle will be consumed with health care reform legislation.

[vjoseph]

Has the thought that perhaps DEAN did not want a position ever crossed your mind?

[ArchAngel]

That's a lie. Dean openly said he wanted a cabinet post.

[thirtyninesteps]

Has the thought ever crossed your mind to read?

"Dean then made a play to be secretary of health and human services in the Obama administration but was quickly shot down..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122102081.html

This article was even featured on the HuffPo two weeks ago. There is no one more qualified or deserving than Dean. He was pushed aside for petty politcal payback from the Obama team.

[heal57]

I agree with you. Dean is indeed gifted, and I, too, would like to see him in an important position in the Obama administration. I'm hopeful that I'm not being naive and Dr Dean will be a big part of the dems reign.

[moda31]

good choice, though i was still holding out hope for plouffe (even though he nixed that idea ages ago). kaine supported obama way early on (apparently their grandparents knew each other too lol), so i'm happy to see he's being kept close even if he didn't get the veep nod like many thought.

[thirtyninesteps]

Yes, that's the BEST way to appoint positions. Look over your pool of supporters and dole out goodies!

[ArchAngel]

Many of us believe that Dean kept the Democratic Party from being completely plundered and controlled by the Clintons and thereby creating the conditions for Obama to be able to win.

So why is Obama publicly humiliating Dean by throwing him under the bus along with other progressives and gays?

[avraamjack]

Hopefully Obama has something good in mind for Howard.

[vjoseph]

Oh please explain to me how he is publicly humiliating Dean? I soo want to know that

[PippiLongstocking]

He can't explain anything along with his other weak a.s.s examples.

[thirtyninesteps]

I sooo want to tell you. Obama is not going to proactively humiliate Dean. That's not his style. He humiliates him passive-ag­gressively -- by ignoring the person who made his own candidacy possible. Dean laid the ground work for Democratic majority in Congress AND for taking the White House, but Obama does not want to share credit.

(As a doctor and by crafting pioneering healthcare legislation in Vermont, who would be more qualified than Dean for HHS? It is publicly reported that Dean campaigned for the position with Obama and was pushed aside.)

What better way to reward the person responsible for Democratic victories than to offer them nothing?

[305Rider]

He is not, Dean has always said that he only wanted to serve 1 term as DNC chair.

[KillBillV2]

Dean said he was going to leave long before Obama even won. Also how about we wait until Obama gets in office before we start saying he is a let down, if Obama is to you not living up to his word then you can bash him, but to bash him before he gets into office is sort of mean.

[PS4OBAMA]

Great Choice! I admire Kaine - he's a good man....

[MarionWatts]

Please allow me a moment of unadulterated pride as a 'real' Virginian from the socialist and communist part heretofore known as Northern Virginia.

I am so proud of Virginia and our governor Tim Kaine. I am so proud that this state finally rolled over, woke up and turned blue again, after 40 years in the red wilderness. Most of that turning point is down to the efforts of Gov Kaine, our great senior Senator Jim Webb and our junior Senator and former governor Mark Warner.

My congratulations to Gov Kaine. I'm sure he will be a great DNC Chairman, and I hope in 2016, we see one of the above three heading the Democratic ticket as nominee for the White House. After all, Virginia is known as the 'Mother of Presidents', having given the nation nine. I think it's about time we rounded off a perfect TEN.

[NotMcCain]

Kaine is a great choice, but we owe Howard Dean a lot (starting with running and winning against MacAuliffe).

I hope this means Dean will get a nice appointment somewhere (Ambassador to UK, perhaps?)

[lizziekw]

Er... I'm not sure that a sensitive diplomatic post would be wise. Perhaps somewhere sunnier and less apt to be problematic would be better.

[Fernando]

Totally. I remember how happy the GOP was when Dean got the chairmanship, at a time when Democrats were at their lowest point and predicted the party would sink even lower! Tucker Carlson was especially caustic in his prediction (apparently he didn't learn from his Clinton book comments). And boy, did that come back to haunt them! Dems have an almost filibuster-proof Senate, a comfortable House lead and the Executive with a mandate. Kaine has down-home appeal and can talk like a true progressive, while the RNC chairmanship candidates are either tone-deaf, corrupt or unable to get re-elected in their own states.

Dean is leaving the DNC in good shape and Kaine is quite able to fill in those big shoes.

[JDJase]

Um He didn't "run and win against" McAuliffe. McAulifee never sought a second term.

Stop creating history that never existed.

[SeanGardner]

Excellent choice!

Kaine is term limited as Virginia Govenor, so this ensures the national profile he had during the last two years will only grow. LIke Obama, he is a civil rights attorney and a grassroots activist. He brings a lot to the table as DNC Chairman, including an excitable, tireless campaign style; fluency in spanish, which will help DEMS maintain and solidify their impressive outreach to Latinos; religious bonafides as a Roman Catholic; and serious RED STATE credibility as a Southerner and Govenor of Virginia. With Kaine at the helm, the DNC's 50 State Strategy is in good hands.

Picking Kaine is proof that the DEMS are thinking about the constituencies they won in convincing fashion during the general election. But beyond all of this, there is a much more compelling reason Tim Kaine would work: he was the first high-profile politician, and first govenor, to endorse Obama (mere days after he announced), so Obama would have an unmistakable ally and friend running the DNC.

[FGWHITE1]

As a Virginia resident, I agree with you completely. Kaine has exactly the qualifications to take over at this point, and endorsed Obama ealry on. He and Obama are very in sync with their views and personality. Being that he can only serve 1 term, I knew it was only a matter of time before Kaine got some type of prominent postion in the administration. He and Obama becmae very close over the course of the campaign

[vjoseph]

Good, glad to hear that

[VACommonSense]

In addition to all the points mentioned, which I agree with, don't forget that Tim Kaine's father-in-law (Linwood Holton) is a former progressive Republican governor of Virginia as well (when the Republican party used to include moderates). It gives him an additional avenue to use to attract people tired of the divisiveness, meanness, pettyness, and failure to govern of the modern day Republicans.