President Obama was exceptional [1]. Joe Biden was outstanding [2]. Michael Bloomberg was fiery [3]. So came the praise for Wednesday night's speakers at the DNC. As for Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's VP pick? He was, well, dad-like [4].
Tim Kaine is dad bod in political form. #demsinphilly [5]
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) July 28, 2016 [6]
After his most important moment on a national stage yet, Kaine's paternal and goofy side went viral for his prudent talking points and impression of Donald Trump [7]. But what lies beneath all that is the idea that his demeanor came across as earnest. Another example of his sincerity? His appeal to the Latino voter.
For those who missed it, here are some things that happened during Kaine's speech.
- Kaine mentioned taking a year off from law school to volunteer as a missionary in Honduras.
In Honduras, Kaine says, he learned the values: "Fe, familia, y trabajo."
(Faith, family, and work)— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) July 23, 2016 [8]
- He spoke in Spanish several times, including saying he and Clinton are compañeros de alma, or soulmates.
Love when @timkaine [9] said: "we are going to be companeros de alma" @HillaryClinton [10] #HRCFL [11]
— Marlon A. Hill (@MarlonAHill) July 23, 2016 [12]
- He referenced Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and their work to bring rights to Latino farmworkers.
Thank you Kaine for mentioning Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Along with MLK and Lincoln, they are my heroes. #DemsInPhilly [13]
— msmithwick (@LuMsmithwick) July 28, 2016 [14]
- The crowd broke out in chants of "Si se puede," which means, "Yes we can!"
As a boy from San Jose, hearing the DNC crowd chant "Sí se puede!" gave me goosebumps.
I love this country.— Omar Najam⚡️ (@OmarNajam) July 28, 2016 [15]
- He used an important part of Latino culture to make his case for why Hillary is the best person for the presidency. Here's his full quote.
The candidate who has proven that she is ready for the job. And when I say ready, I use ready for a specific reason. When I lived in Honduras, I learned something. The best compliment that you could pay to somebody was to say that they were listo. Ready. Not inteligente, smart. Not amable, friendly. Not rico, rich. But listo, listo. Because what listo means in Spanish is this; it means prepared, it means battle-tested, it means rock solid, up for anything, never backing down. And, friends, Hillary Clinton, she is listo!
Does this come across as pandering to the Latino community? Some would say yes. Indeed, many on the right criticized him for being a real-life pandering version [16] of the kid show Dora the Explorer. But Kaine not only recognized Latinos — he also give them a major spotlight on a national stage and made them feel like they were a valued part of the conversation. It was a powerful thing to witness. It's not the first time someone has tried to appeal to Latinos at a political convention [17]; however, the current rhetoric involving talks of building a "very high" border wall and sending back millions of immigrants makes it feel even more relevant and meaningful. Make fun of Kaine all you want, but at least he's trying to reach out to Latinos. And when you realize that millions of them who are eligible to vote might not actually do so [18], these attempts matter.
You can watch Kaine's full speech here.