Fernando Portuondo said he didn’t know much about Kaine, but likes what he hears so far. She announced him as her running mate via tweet Friday night. “They don’t come tougher or any more compassionate than Hillary Clinton”, he added. “(It’s) kind of emotional for me and I’ll bet it’s emotional for (many). “Kaine asked. “Do you want a “me first” president or a ‘kids and families first” president?”
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Kaine also touched on some of Clinton’s major talking points: “We are going to make the American economy work for everyone, not just those at the top”, he said. “Tim Kaine is everything Donald Trump and Mike Pence are not”, Mrs. Clinton said as she introduced her running mate.
The moderate Democrat could appeal to Republicans who have been unsettled by the candidacy of Donald Trump.
Clinton first took the podium to introduce Kaine and expound upon his political views and credentials, while Kaine sat behind her waving and smiling to enthusiastic rally attendees.
“Hillary and I will not rest, we will not rest, until we get universal background checks and close loopholes that put guns in the hands of criminals, terrorists and risky people who should not have them”, Mr. Kaine said. Florida is a crucial battleground that will be hotly contested in the fall, and Clinton is moving swiftly to press her advantage with the state’s large Hispanic electorate, many of whom have been turned off by Trump’s hard-line immigration policies. “In the halls of power, in the faces of our national security leaders, America is still not fully reflected”, she said. He’s a man who’s risen to the highest levels of government but still lives in the same neighborhood he did as a city council member in Richmond. You just can’t find anyone with a bad thing to say about him, from the staff who’ve worked for him to the Republicans who’ve served alongside him.
“Now, I know for a lot of you this might be the first time you’re hearing me speak”. “Polar opposite of what Bernie Sanders talked about”.
If there is to be intra-party discord, it could be on display before or after Sanders’ remarks.
“I would have campaigned for Hillary Clinton, I would have busted my butt… if she had picked Elizabeth Warren”, he said. ” Trump tweeted early Saturday morning”. Clinton said, “Donald Trump may think America is in decline but he’s wrong…” Tim Kaine will be joining her on the general election ticket.
He fitted Mrs Clinton’s long-stated criteria that the vice presidential choice be a capable partner who is ready to take over the presidency if necessary.
In the end, the Clinton-Kaine strategy seems to be that the mood of voters is one that will embrace what they call an inclusive, optimistic message. Vice-presidential candidates can typically give tickets a slight advantage in their home states. He is one of only 20 people in US history to hold office as a mayor, governor and senator.
“We trust Secretary Clinton would not select Senator Kaine, and Senator Kaine would not accept the position, if he could not fully support Secretary Clinton’s robust agenda when it comes to preserving and expanding reproductive freedom and justice”.
Trump, in a text to his own supporters, said Obama, Clinton and Kaine were “the ultimate insiders” and implored voters to not “let Obama have a 3rd term”.
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That unity is in contrast to the fractures that were on display during the GOP national convention in Cleveland, when U.S. Sen. The troops “deserve a commander in chief with the experience and temperament to lead”, he said.
