Last fall I published this diary in response to all the myths and gut feelings that Hillary Clinton was somehow not progressive. Unfortunately, I can’t pretend I’m surprised that I now feel compelled to write a sequel about her newly-minted running mate because some like to practice the politics of my way or the highway. I would have liked someone like Sen. Warren for the excite-the-base appeal too, but I also trust that Clinton has her reasons for her pick. Honestly, I’ve lost count of the number of Democratic politicians that get criticized for lack of progressive bona fides, only to discover with very little research that the record actually tells a very different story. You may want to link to the previous diary for background on the sources since I’m going to keep this one shorter.
As I have with others, the two sites I look at with comprehensive, but also succinct information regarding records and how they are interpreted are On The Issues and Project Vote Smart. (Links are specifically to Kaine’s pages on those respective sites.) Some highlights of interest include:
- 100% from the likes of Planned Parenthood and NARAL
- 90%+ from Human Rights Campaign
- 90%+ from AFL-CIO
- Extremely low scores from interests generally identified as conservative
- Opposed to any privatization of Social Security
BTW, Bernie Sanders is also on board.