Tim Kaine

I was introduced to Tim Kaine and his eyebrow in 2001. He was mayor of Richmond and was running for Lt. Governor. He had a meeting with the editorial board of The Free Lance-Star and that’s where I met him. He, like Mark Warner before him, seemed to spend the majority of the meeting focusing on me. They acted like we were long lost friends and they were actually human beings or something. Maybe their idea was to get the guy who flings poo on their side.

I usually avoided editorial board meetings. I don’t like politicians. I don’t need to meet them or become their pal. Some cartoonists talk about how they know a politician and make themselves out to be a player in politics. I knew just about every statewide elected official in Mississippi during the 1990’s and that never did a thing for me, well…except when I needed quotes for the back of my book. I’m not bragging by saying I knew every statewide official. Everyone who worked at a newspaper in that state met every official. Mississippi is the world’s largest small town.

Despite avoiding politicians I still run into them. Al Gore almost ripped my arm off with a handshake while he was in motion. He’s strong. Eric Cantor had a very lovely staff (cute girl). The governor of Hawaii (at that time) had his wife drop into my office. Not just the newspaper…she came walking into my office my second day on the job. She was nice looking too and actually made wearing a muumuu look good. I was caught by surprise and stuttered a lot.

The best reason to avoid politicians is that you might actually like them. It’s their job to kiss your ass. I liked Tim Kaine. Hell, after meeting Eric Cantor, I liked him. Didn’t help them, but personally I liked ’em.

I digressed. This was the first time I had even heard of Tim Kaine and at the time Virginia was a pretty solid red state. I didn’t know if he had a chance to win, but I did tell him that I hoped he would just so I could draw his eyebrows. He won. It took another four years before I could draw them because lieutenant governors are never in the news. Come to Virginia and ask someone, anyone, who is our lieutenant governor. Ask the governor. He may not even know. Kaine was much more newsworthy as governor and then U.S. Senator.

After that one meeting, I never met him again.

I hope Clinton picks Kaine. He’s a solid choice. Boring. There’s no real dirt on him. There’s not much in past legislation to drag him down. He’s young. He’s had experience as a mayor of a large city, lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. Senator. He’s the kind of guy that probably could not ever have a shot at the presidency without the profile of being veep.

I hope she does not pick Cory Booker. Cory Booker is extremely talented and can become president after a few more years in the senate. I’m afraid being Clinton’s veep can only bring him down. Booker has the personality that he doesn’t need to be veep.

For those who are about to Google the lieutenant governor of Virginia, it’s Ralph Northam. He’s a Democrat.