While we take a bit of time to enjoy the Tim Kaine victory, we need to take the lesson of this campaign with us as we move forward to organize for the coming challenge of 2006.
Was this a referendum on the Bush Administration? Was this a refutation of Kilgore's patented "All Negative, All the Time (tm)", campaign and other Rovian campaigns like it? Kilgore lost 20 points in the polls between June and Election Day, was his candidacy just weak? Has the national conservative movement in America been given its chance, been measured and found wanting? Was this the first of many elections to show the inevitable passing of the outer suburbs into the care and safe keeping of the Democratic party? Is this all about the monumental achievement of Mark Warner, his greatness and future leadership role in national politics? Did voters come to see Tim Kaine as a positive, qualified, responsible leader with a devoted spirit and calling in public service?
Peeling the onion is a favorite pastime of political analysts. If we try to get to the heart of Governor-elect Tim Kaine's momentous achievement, we may see the ripening of a coming age in American politics: the age of the Positive Progressive.
This is the first in a series peeling the onion of the Kaine Victory and addressing the power of Positive Progressivism.
Part 1: The Positive Progressivism vs. Reactionary Social Conservatism:
NDN Blog had this to say in their morning roundup:
I was amazed how every winning Democrat said the same thing about why they won - solving the transportation crisis, improving our schools, creating jobs, giving people more time with their families. They all also pointed out that the losing GOP candidates failed to talk about what they would do to solve the core problems facing people in their daily lives. Dems seemed pragmatic, in touch, Republicans distracted by their social agenda.
The biggest loser in Virginia politics wasn't Jerry Kilgore, although his dirty campaign leaves him coated in well-deserved loss and shame. The biggest loser in Virginia politics was one Republican Chris Craddock who sought election to the 67th house of delegates and lost by over 16 points to Democrat Chris Caputo. In recent weeks, Social Conservative Craddock was quoted regurgitating familiar gay-bashing, racist, ignorant bile, including a remark that will live in infamy in Virginia's political hall of shame:
"Africans will have sex with anything with a pulse" ~ Conservative Republican Chris Craddock
If this was an isolated incident of individual ignorance, it would simply be despicable, pitiful, and tragic. Unfortunately, it is the kind of across-the-board dimentia in which social conservatives are indoctrinating their young politicos.
Craddock's ignorant and racist African remarks came directly on the heels of the following gay-bashing assertion:
"nobody's born gay ? they turn gay... "there are three ways to become gay: You don't have a father figure in your life, you have an abusive father figure or you have no loving support in your family." Chris Craddock
Where does Craddock get this stuff? Why from Jerry Falwell, of course. Here's a snippet from a discussion of gays from an interview on Meet the Press with Tim Russert:
I don`t think any--I don`t think anybody is born a bank robber or born a hostile left-winger or a hostile right-winger or gay or a promiscuous heterosexual.I think there comes a time in childhood where environment may be a part of it, whatever, teaching, instruction, one chooses, I will do this or that. And that`s why good, godly parenting [is about]...
Americans are fed up with this kind of thinly veiled hate speech. It won the election for George W. Bush in '04, but Bush's legacy is clearly in jeopordy. Americans want the kind of real governance that Mark Warner and Tim Kaine represent, not this radical social conservativism being foisted by the right wing scream machine. Americans want spirituality and religion with reasonable judgment and without hate. Tim Kaine offered just that.
"We proved that faith in God is a value we all can share regardless of party." - Tim Kaine's Victory Speech
Tim Kaine ran a very positive campaign with a strong spiritual component. He made consistent references to his experiences working as a Christian missionary in Honduras, and used religious language in the context of unity rather than divisiveness. He consistently stated that despite his faith-based opposition to abortion and the death penalty he would support existing law. The conservative elites never quite understood it, but people got it and it stuck.
From today's Washington Post:
LT. GOV. TIMOTHY M. Kaine's triumph in Virginia's gubernatorial race is a watershed -- the victory of a Southern Democrat who prevailed despite his principled opposition to the death penalty and his refusal to rule out new taxes.
GMU professor Mark Rozell had this to say:
"I think this is an interesting test case for Democrats to see if you can run a faith-based campaign focused on values and do so as a progressive candidate in a Southern state," Rozell said.
America is ready for change. Americans want Democrats to run congress. Americans need to be given a clear positive message. Americans are sick and tired of negative campaigns that focus on low-priority, reactionary social issues. Tim Kaine's victory is a watershed, and the harbinger of great things to come. We have a lot to learn from his Positive Progressive positions, campaign, and career.
Tomorrow: The Positive Progressive vs. Rovian Dirty Tricks