TIM KAINE, HILLARY CLINTON'S VP PICK, SPOKE ON THE
THIRD NIGHT OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.
SOME WERE
HOPING THAT HE WOULD OUTLINE THE WAYS THAT HE STANDS OUT AS A
PROGRESSIVE VP PICK.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN
DURING HIS SPEECH, BUT THERE IS MORE AND MORE INFORMATION COMING
OUT ABOUT HIS VOTING RECORD.
SOME ARE CONCERNED THAT HE IS
NOT PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH ON ISSUES LIKE TTP; HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK
AT HIS VOTING RECORD ON ISSUES IN THE SENATE, IT TURNS OUT THAT
HE IS VERY LIBERAL.
ONE AREA THAT HE IS VERY LIBERAL, IN THE
SENATE SPECIFICALLY, IS WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.
HE BELIEVES
IN REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, AND HE WANTS TO PROTECT THEM.
IN FACT,
EVEN THOUGH HE IS A CATHOLIC, HE DOES NOT WANT TO IMPOSE HIS
RELIGIOUS MORALS ON ANYONE ELSE.
ACCORDING TO FORTUNE, "A
CATHOLIC, HE HAS DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS PERSONALLY OPPOSED TO
ABORTION AND HAS EVEN CALLED HIMSELF PRO-LIFE.
IN 2005,
DURING HIS FIRST CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA, HE SAID HE
HE SUPPORTED APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE
CHECKS ON THE RIGHT TO ABORTION AND PROMISED TO UPHOLD THE
STATE'S EXISTING RESTRICTIONS ON THE PROCEDURE,
SUCH AS A 24 HOUR WAITING PERIOD, A PARENTAL NOTIFICATION
REQUIREMENT, AND RESTRICTIONS ON FEDERAL FUNDING.
WHEN HE WAS
GOVERNOR HE WAS MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE ON HIS STANCES,
AND EVEN THOUGH RIGHT NOW HE IS VOTING IN FAVOR OF REPRODUCTIVE
RIGHTS, I SHOULD NOTE THAT HE IS CLEAR ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE IS
CATHOLIC AND PERSONALLY AGAINST ABORTION, BUT HIS VOTING HAS
CHANGED CONSIDERABLY.
HE HAS VOTED AGAINST A BILL THAT WOULD
PROHIBIT ABORTION AFTER 20 WEEKS, IN FAVOR OF PROVIDING
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
AND FOR BILL MANDATING THAT EMPLOYERS OFFER ALL TYPES OF
BIRTH CONTROL.
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
AS WELL AS REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT,
WHICH PROVIDES PROTECTION FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC
ABUSE.
FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU ARE PERSONALLY AGAINST ABORTION
BUT YOU THINK THAT WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHOOSE, YOU ARE
NOT PRO-LIFE, YOU ARE PRO CHOICE.
THAT IS WHAT THE PRO-CHOICE POSITION IS.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE AN ABORTION, DON'T HAVE ONE, IT'S
YOUR CHOICE.
THAT'S THE DEFINITION.
PRO-CHOICE DOESN'T MEAN, EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE AN
ABORTION.
OR THAT WE WANT YOU TO.
WE WANT YOU TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, IT'S CALLED
LIBERTY.
WOMEN HAVE TO HAVE ABORTIONS WHETHER THEY NEED ONE OR NOT.
EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT PREGNANT.
HIS POSITION IS PRO-CHOICE THEN.
SECONDLY, HE'S FLIP-FLOPPING ON IT, BUT I'VE FLIP-FLOPPED ON
ISSUES.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE DEATH PENALTY, WE WERE KILLING TOO
MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE, I'VE GONE OVER THAT MANY TIMES.
IT SEEMS MORE LIKE A MATTER OF POLITICS AND CONVENIENCE.
LET'S GO TO THE OTHER SIDE OF WHAT I'M SPLIT ON IT.
HE'S ON THE RIGHT SIDE NOW, SO WHAT DO I CARE?
GREAT, FANTASTIC, ALL THOSE POSITIONS ARE CORRECT.
AND IT'S NOT AS JUST A STATEMENT, IT'S A SERIES OF
VOTES.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND NARAL
HAVE GIVEN HIM A 100% RATING ON HIS VOTES IN THE SENATE ON
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.
AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING,
KEEP IN MIND HE WAS THE GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA IN THE EARLY 2000'S,
AND THAT IS WHEN VIRGINIA WAS MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN IT
IS NOW.
I THINK YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE PRO-CHOICE NO MATTER
WHAT, BUT WHEN YOU ARE ELECTED BY YOUR CONSTITUENTS YOU ARE
ELECTED TO REPRESENT THEM.
IF THE MAJORITY OF YOUR
CONSTITUENTS ARE CONSERVATIVE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
GO AGAINST THEM?
YES, DO WHAT'S RIGHT.
I PERSONALLY WOULD, BUT MOST POLITICIANS DON'T.
THEY WANT TO REPRESENT THEIR
CONSTITUENTS, AND EVEN THEN HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING CRAZY LIKE
MIKE PENCE HAS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IT PAINTS A
PICTURE OF TIM KAINE AS A MEMBER OF POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY.
FOR
EXAMPLE, HE WAS FOR TPP, AND IN ORDER TO JOIN HILLARY CLINTON'S
TICKET HE IS NOW AGAINST THE TPP?
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT,
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT.
SO NOW, VIRGINIA USED TO BE MORE
CONSERVATIVE, HE WAS MORE PRO-LIFE.
NOW IT'S MORE OF A
BLUE STATE, HE'S PRO-CHOICE.
YOU ARE SAYING THAT BECAUSE OF HIS RECORD HE'S NOT SURE HE
BELIEVES IT AND HE MIGHT FLIP THE OTHER WAY?
IF HE BELIEVES IT IS POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT.
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
THERE WAS ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME, WHERE HE VOTED
AGAINST SOME GUN-CONTROL MEASURE.
SOME PEOPLE ACT LIKE HE VOTED AGAINST ñ LIKE HE VOTED IN FAVOR
OF TPP, HE DIDN'T, HE VOTED FOR THE FAST-TRACK AUTHORITY.
WHICH IS IN ESSENCE VOTING FOR TPP, BECAUSE IT SAYS THE
PRESIDENT, WHO WE KNOW IS MASSIVELY IN FAVOR OF TPP, WILL
GET TO PROPOSE IT AS A LUMP-SUM PACKAGE.
THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO PUT IT, ANYWAY, AND WE CAN'T AMEND
IT.
IT'S EITHER A YES OR A NO, WHICH IS ALMOST ALWAYS A YES.
SHE IS PRO-TPP.
LIKE, I JUST FOUND OUT I'M AGAINST TPP LAST WEEK WHEN
HILLARY CLINTON ASKED ME ON THE TICKET IS NOT A CONVINCING
POSITION, NOT REMOTELY.
THE REASON WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS, WHEN THE SHORT
LIST OF POSSIBLE VP'S WAS DRAWN UP, HE LOOKED LIKE NOT THE
WORST, NOT THE MOST CONSERVATIVE, BUT CERTAINLY NOT
THE MOST LIBERAL OR PROGRESSIVE OF THE CHOICES THERE.
THE DANGER IS, IF A PERSON HAS SOME POLICY POSITIONS LIKE
PRO-TPP, OR SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE WANTS TO PUSH
FOR DEREGULATION OF WALL STREET.
HE MAY HAVE OTHER POSITIONS YOU DON'T LIKE, SOME PEOPLE ARE
SAYING HE WAS MOVING AGAINST UNIONS IN VIRGINIA, WHICH I
HAVEN'T SEEN BUT IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.
YOU CAN HAVE THESE THINGS, BUT YOU DON'T GET TO SUDDENLY LABEL
HIM.
I WAS ON BBC SCOTLAND WITH A GUY, HE WAS PARTICIPATING IN A
BERNIE
RALLY, AND HE WAS LIKE HE'S A RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVE.
NO, HE DOESN'T BECOME A RIGHT-WING CONSERVATIVE JUST
BECAUSE HE HAS A COUPLE POSITIONS.
THE REASON WHY THAT MATTERS IS BECAUSE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE
ABLE TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE AND NOT LOOK AT THE
WORLD IN BLACK AND WHITE.
WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SO SIMPLISTIC AND
SHALLOW IN OUR INTERPRETATION ABOUT THINGS.
IF THERE'S A
BAD THING ABOUT IT, THE WHOLE THING IS BAD, IT'S TERRIBLE AND
CAN'T BE ALLOWED.
THAT'S NOT HOW YOU GET A PHILOSOPHY TO RUN A COUNTRY.
LET ME JUMP IN REALLY QUICKLY, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT THE
REACTION IS GOING TO BE TO EVERYTHING YOU AND I ARE SAYING,
SPECIFICALLY.
I GET IT, SANDERS SUPPORTERS HATE HILLARY, THEY HATE
EVERYTHING ABOUT HER, THEY HATE HER VP PICK ñ NO, THEY DO.
THAT'S NOT FAIR.
THEY HATE HILLARY.
THERE IS A SPECTRUM OF SANDERS SUPPORTERS.
YES, TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR I'M SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT
BERNIE OR BUST INDIVIDUALS, A LOT OF WHICH WAS OUR SHOW.
I'M A LITTLE BIT EMBARRASSED ABOUT HOW I'VE TALKED ABOUT TIM
KANE IN THE PAST.
I LOVE POLICY, AND I HADN'T ACTUALLY SAT DOWN AND LOOKED
THROUGH HIS VOTING RECORD AND EVERYTHING HE DID IN THE SENATE
UNTIL TODAY.
OF COURSE I READ ABOUT HIS POLICY IDEAS, BUT IT WAS ALL
NEGATIVE STUFF.
YOU GOT TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE AND PUT THE PERSON IN
CONTEXT.
HE IS NOT A DISASTER, AND THE WAY THAT PEOPLE HAVE ñ OR WENT
WITH THIS NARRATIVE OF HIM BEING THIS RIGHT-WINGER I THINK IS
REALLY UNFAIR, AND ALL MASKING IS TO PUT EVERYTHING IN CONTEXT
AND CONSIDER EVERYTHING HE DID WHEN HE WAS IN THE SENATE.
I LOOKED AT THE IDEOLOGICAL SCORES, I MENTIONED THIS ON THE
SHOW A WEEK OR TWO AGO, AND HE'S NOT ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE
OR LIBERAL SENATORS IN THE SENATE, HE'S JUST NOT.
BUT HE'S MORE LIBERAL THAN AL GORE WAS
WHEN HE VOTED.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ACCEPT, THAT MATTERS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING ON, THERE'S STATEMENTS FOR THEM IS
ALSO ACTION.
HIS ACTIONS PUT HIM MORE LIBERAL THAN PAST VP CHOICES.
BY THE WAY, IT'S OUR JOB TO JUST GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION.
I'M NOT TELLING YOU THIS TO INFLUENCE YOU OR TELL YOU YOU
HAVE TO VOTE FOR HILLARY.
VOTE FOR WHOEVER YOU ARE COMFORTABLE VOTING FOR, BUT I'M
NOT GOING TO RUN WITH A FALSE NARRATIVE BECAUSE IT'S NOT MY
FAVORITE CANDIDATE.
YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT DAMNING
WITH FALSE PRAISE.
VIDEO BUFFERING
HAS VOTED CONSISTENTLY TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT,
HAS VOTED CONSISTENTLY AGAINST OIL SUBSIDIES.
AGAIN, TAKE ALL OF THESE THINGS INTO CONTEXT.
BUT HERE'S WHO WOULDN'T VOTE AGAINST OIL SUBSIDIES: MIKE
PENCE.
HERE'S WHO DOESN'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT: MIKE
PENCE.
AND YES, I KNOW THAT THE VP IS ESSENTIALLY A SYMBOLIC
THING, IT'S NOT LIKE THE VP IS GOING TO VOTE ON
LEGISLATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT ñ
LIKES EXCEPT FOR THE CASE OF A TIE IN THE SENATE, AND HE COULD
POTENTIALLY BECOME PRESIDENT, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE IRRELEVANT.
CLOSE BUT STILL IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT YOU SHOULD
KNOW.
WHEN TIM KAINE WAS ANNOUNCED, I HAVE A HEALTHY
RECOGNITION OF HIS RECORD.
ON THE SPOT I DID.
IT'S GOOD TO GET MORE INTO THE DETAILS, THAT'S WHAT I
SAID, AND PEOPLE WERE ASKING WHY I SAID IT, I THINK TIM KAINE
MIGHT BE A SECRET LIBERAL.
BUT IT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A SECRET.
SO THE REALITY IS, IF TIM KAINE BECAME RELEVANT IN OUR
LIVES, AND HILLARY CLINTON BECAME PRESIDENT, WE DON'T
KNOW WHAT HE WOULD DO.
HE MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE REALLY PROGRESSIVE, OR NOT SO MUCH, AND
THAT'S BECAUSE HE'S A POLITICIAN WHO IS KIND OF MOVED TO
WHEREVER THINGS ARE HEADING.
AND YES, HE'S CLEARLY ON THE PROGRESSIVE SIDE.
YOU DON'T GO HELP KIDS IN HONDURAS BECAUSE YOU'RE A
CONSERVATIVE WHO WANTS TO MAKE MORE PROFITS, RIGHT?
THAT'S HIS NATURE, HE COULD HAVE PICKED REPUBLICAN AND HE DIDN'T.
IN A STATE LIKE VIRGINIA MIGHT HAVE BEEN EASIER TO PICK
REPUBLICAN.
NO, HE'S A DEMOCRAT, HE'S A PROGRESSIVE.
IS HE AS PROGRESSIVE AS WE WANT HIM TO BE?
WE MIGHT NEVER FIND OUT.