Where in the World is Gov. Tim Kaine?
I would like to put out an all points bulletin on Chairman Tim Kaine.
We are now more than a month into Barack Obama's presidency and there is little or no evidence that a national Democratic Party structure exists. Gov. Kaine, who was appointed Chairman of the Democratic Party by President Obama on January 8th, has been missing in action. He was nowhere to be seen during the battle to pass the stimulus bill. He was nowhere to be seen during the public relations fiascos that surrounded the withdrawals of several cabinet appointees. He is nowhere to be seen now as the President sets about attempting to move his agenda and convince the American people that we have turned the corner and their lives are going to begin to improve.
What's up with that?
I know that President Obama has been busy, what with finding the lights switches and passing legislation to save an economy that is in possibly the worst downward spiral in history. I know that President Obama likes to think of himself as post-partisan. I know he wants to engage the American people directly -- much as he did during the campaign. But seriously, Mr. President, this isn't going to work.
When public and congressional support for the stimulus package began to falter -- owing largely to the Congressional Republicans having an identity crisis and putting positioning themselves for 2010 before saving the country's economy -- the President appeared to be caught back on heels for at least one full news cycle. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was everywhere on the news complaining loudly about tax increases and out of control spending. And from the Democrats came... silence. It wasn't until the following day that someone finally stepped up to a microphone and said, " hey, wait a minute, wasn't it you guys, who controlled not just the White House and at least one of the Chambers of Congress for the last eight years who drove this economy into the ditch? Wasn't it you guys who dismantled most of the regulatory framework that might have prevented much of the financial industry mess that we now face? " And the person who stepped up was the President himself. And then President Obama jumped into Air Force one and left Washington to make his case to the American people. It worked. This time.
However, as you have no doubt noticed, Mr. President, your day job keeps you rather busy. The succession of emails from -- wherever they are coming from -- that denote BarackObama.com as the sender, are an inadequate way to for a President, and leader of his party, to communicate. You can twitter and tweet and facebook and youtube all you want but you also are going to need a party structure and stable of surrogate speakers to move your agenda.
In the late 1990's and the 2000 election, Democrats lost the battle of communicating at least in part because the right wing had talk radio and Drudge (putting aside for the moment the mainstream media's rather odd sense of its obligation to report in a "balanced" way). We recovered ground in those areas with the addition of the Huffington Post, the DailyKos and a host of other less well-known blogs and websites, as well as the increased prominence of commentators like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. However, we now are in danger of losing a similar battle if we allow the party structure to atrophy. Just as you can disagree without being disagreeable, you can use the party structure without being partisan.
It is up to you, Mr. President, to revitalize and grow your party and not to continue to brand it BarackObama.com. Perhaps that increases your personal connection with the people who supported your campaign and, in some sense, your political capital. However, you need to spend some of that capital now to revitalize the Democratic Party and move your agenda.
What are you saving it for -- a run for higher office?
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Governor Kaine promised the people of Virginia that becoming DNC Chair would not hinder his job as governor. Normally, being govenor and DNC chair is nothing of a strain, but Tim Kaine has been hammering away at the state budget with the Republicans, who control the House Branch of the General Assembly. He's a busy man in his own right.
Michael Steele has nothing to do right now but fake hip hop lingo in speeches and argue over whether government work is a job or not. Tim Kaine actually has a state to run.
Trudi, you are scratching around a chicken coop for newsworthy items. Kaine is fine, what are you up to these days?
Written as if no Democrats would appear on television because of some sort of ineptitude or failure to grasp the importance of good spokesmodeling. Problem is-- the Dems aren't asked on so much, because that would take time away from all the Repubs invited on by the dozen to slag the new president's policies, which incidentally, are unpopular with the oligarchs who own television. But that's just phase 1. If they can convince enough people the policies are no good, they can move on to slagging the president outright. But not yet-- Obama is still too popular.
Folks need to realize they're being bombarded with Republicans and Republican talking points because that's what's on the teevee almost all the time. Freedom of the press rely only extends to freedom for the guys who own the presses. And those guys don't want to pay taxes at all, but especially, they don't want to pay more than under Bush.
DOING THE RIGHT THINGS DOES NOT TAKE A LOT OF STRUCTURE !!!!!!
Kane hasn't been entirely absent. He did a several minute long video for the OFA Economic Recovery House Meetings that were held early this month and he was quite good. I'd argue that in these early days of the new administration, keeping a somewhat low profile and letting President Obama control the message and the have the spotlight is a good thing. If the Obama administration is any indication, there's much going on behind the scenes that will be revealed when the time is optimum.
Why start wailing on Kane already, eh?
I concur. With that said, I sure hope Obama is gathering all evidence against the past administration, to be released say in 2012.
He's being a scholar and a gentleman and quietly doing his job unlike Lt gov. Steele.
I don't know about anyone else but I have heard from Gov. Kane since he has taken over the DNC.
"Multi-tasking" does not work. It's just our fancy name for not paying sufficient attention to the tasks we take on, resulting in, at best, mediocrity and marginal advancement in several areas, rather than excellence in one. If Kaine is governor,he should focus on that and be the best governor his state has ever had. Conversely, the DNC needs a leader who will focus on the needs of the party and its contituents. The President and the Party should pick someone who has the brains, time and will to do this rather big job exclusively and superbly.
That's easy. The usual Republican Lite (tastes awful, less fulfilling) suspects are back in charge. Kane and his pals don't have to do anything except sit back and mouth half-hearted objections while allowing the right wing and corporate media to ram through their agenda. It worked for them in the '90s, so why mess with success.
WRONG. As a citizen of Virginia, I can tell you that you are wrong. (and it's Kaine, btw). Governor Kaine promised the people of Virginia that becoming DNC Chair would not hinder his job as governor. Normally, being govenor and DNC chair is nothing, but Tim Kaine has been hammering away at the state budget with the Republicans, who control the House Branch of the General Assembly. He's a busy man in his own right.
Too busy, apparently, to head the DNC.
The fact is that the media intentionally put twice as many republicans on TV. Nothing Tim Kaine did would have changed that fact. I did see him on TV and he did a fine job defending the Stim. I saw Steele once on this week. As I recall he did more harm to his cause.
There is a national Democratic Party structure that does exist. Its Nancy and Hillary on one side and Obama on the other side. Tim Kaine is in the middle waiting to see who the "lead dog" will be.
I agree 100% i sent a similar letter to the Leadership of my Local Democratic Party. We need to keep the GrassRoots active and involved. We can't just sit back and drink our lattes and think everything is fine. The GOP hasn't stopped campaigning and we shouldn't either. There are a lot of Seats up for grabs in 2010. In my State of North Carolina the Republican Lap Dog Senator Richard Burr is up for election. In my District Republican Congressman Walter Jones is up for ReElection. We need to start pushing Candidates NOW! We can't wait til the middle of the year or the end of the year. We need the Local, State, and National Party leadership to continue the fight that Howard Dean Started.
The sad thing is that The GOP thinks that they have found their voice, how pathetic. The couldn't any more out of touch with the American People. They pick Steele as the RNC Chairman. He is a token and a hack. But at least he is visible. Gov. Kaine is M.I.A.
http://www.hallstyle.blogspot.com
I dont know about the national party, but I tell you what, In NC there seems to be a huge breakdown in communications. Ive been trying to reach my local county chair (Craven County) for 2 months now with no success, and have left numerous messages up the chain of command to the state level. They say they want us to be involved....what am I supposed to be involved in? wheres the NC leadership?
KAINE HAS BEEN AT O'S SIDE IN SOME OF LAST WEEKS EVENTS AND BUSY ALSO BEING A GOV OF VA WITH THE BIG GOV'S CONFERENCE ETC...GIVE KAINE A CHANCE AND TIME TO GET UP TO SPEED AND READY BY FALL FOR THE MID TERMS IN '10.......
I THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULDN'T HAVE PICK GOVERNOR HAINE IF HE DIDN'T HAVE FAITH IN HIM. I HAVE SEEN THE GOVERNOR AT WORK HE IS A GREAT SPEAKER AND SURPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT THEY ARE FRIENDS FROM HARVARD.YES I AGREE THE OTHER DEMS SHOULD BE OUT THERE SURPORTING THE PRESIDENT SO SHOULD I AND THE REST OF US WHO BELIEVE IN WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS DOING OR TRYING TO DO. THE GOP ARE ALL OUT THERE SELLING THEIR TALKING POINTS AND THEY ARE IN FORCE. I HAVE FAITH THAT THE AMERICANS PEOPLE THOSE THAT VOTED 66 MILLIONS WHO GAVE THEIR SURPORT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA IS STILL THERE FOR HIM.
sorry beg to differ sandra. of the 66 million who voted for obama 33 million were voting *against* mccain.
My support for Obama hasn't changed but Kaine needs to get out there and Speak on TV and Radio like Michael Steele is doing.
We can't let them dominate the discussion.
Michael Steele is out there making a arsss out of himself and the republican party!
Kaine does need to step up and keep the grass root movement going! I miss Howard Dean! Howard Rocks and I wish Obama would pick him to head something!
Tim Kaine is too busy blowing Appalachia into a 3rd world America and making sure we keep a lid on Methicillan Resistant Staphloccocus Aureaus ( MRSA ) and how filthy our watersheds are in Wise County. Due to mountaintop removal we are loosing our landscape, our water and our homes. Health care in Southwest Virginia is 3rd world, or at least nothing like what's being sold by the snake oil merchants in slick ads in comparison to what's on public record in Greeneville, TN Federal Court, case no 2:04-cv-375 . Our rivers are full of heavy toxic metals and toxic disease but as long as the politicians and the profit machines are making a killing everything is fine. Change is coming from the bottom up in Appalachia. http://www.wisecountyissues.com
And Giles Co. has a fly ash dump site on the New River for all to see. Sure it will probably never flood but every time I drive by and the wind is blowing, so is the fly ash. And you have Celco polluting the river and the air with who knows what.
And in Roanoke Co. there's a movement underway to build a huge inland port in part of Roanoke valley.
And in Tazewell V-Dot is shutting it's local site due to lack of funds. Needless to say, that's one of the rural counties that needs help the most.
Also in SW Va, there's a huge insurance company taking over all that has to do with health care-- buying out doctors, hospitals, rescue squads, labs, etc.
So tim kaine, yes, he's busy. But it isn't the good kind of busy.
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