How’s Tim Kaine Working for You Dems?

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At this point of the evening, let me remind you that Tim Kaine, former Governor of Virginia, is the DNC Chair presiding over this debacle tonight.

Sure, sure, it’s a wave election. Presidential parties always lose in the first midterm.

But Virginia:

  • Bob McDonnell wins
  • Ken Cuccinelli wins
  • Tom Periello loses
  • Glenn Nye loses
  • Rick Boucher loses

(Gerry Connolly is still neck and neck with his challenger Keith Fimian.)

I mean this guy has presided over the loss of his entire state to the Republicans. Much less significant swaths of our country.

Someone please set an alarm for Barack Obama tomorrow morning–so he can wake up first thing and fire Tim Kaine.

80 replies
  1. prostratedragon says:

    Ken Cuccinelli wins

    This alone would have been enough for a firing. I’d have some sharp questions about KY and WI, too.

  2. Arbusto says:

    Watched Norah O. interview Timmie on MSNBC. He stated the big O is ready to negotiate compromise with the GOP in good faith. After I threw up my Top Shelf Margarita, I changed the channel . What a waste of tequia.

    • acmavm says:

      No, Obama is NOT enept. He’s getting the results he wanted. Obama is NOT a democrat. He just plays one before the cameras.

      Look at his record. Listen to what he says. The guy isn’t really there. His only accomplishment was winning the 2008 election. And he did that the way he does everything else. He LIED. He has NO distinguished record anywhere. Constitutional scholar??? BFD, how many ‘constitutional scholars’ have we had in this country? He’s the only guy who ever studied the Constitution? He obviously didn’t learn much. consider how many of the last administration’s incredibly anti-contitutional powers this arrogant liar has kept for his own use. Of course while letting the entire bush** administration off the hook.

      I walked all over South O for Obama and Biden (gag) even though I detested both. McCain and Pain WERE/ARE that bad. Did I expect anything from the guy who faked his way through the Senate??? Hell no. But his arrogance surprised me, and still does. His ability to speak out of his ass and his mouth at the same time is amazing. I just didn’t expect the huge amount of damage that he would inflict on the party and the country. And do not fool yourselves for one minute. This guy is the biggest failed social experiment in the history of the Universe. He has made it absolutely clear that he was just fooling us with all those ‘promises’ on the campaign trail. And he’s spent two years trashing the ‘professional left’ for having the nerve to expect him to be a man of his word. He’s actually gets huffy and snitty when he gets called on his dishonesty.

      Sheesh! Jumping on t.v. and telling people to ‘get his back’. I loved that, it was just so surreal. (Oh well, maybe one of his kids will be able to snag an up-and-comer at Goldman Sachs, just like little

      Chelsea did.)

      Wonder how the Nobel people feel about their ‘peace prize’ winner now?

  6. manys says:

    Wasn’t it intentional for the Dems to give up party dominance? Conspiracy, I suppose, but it seemed like that even under the current econ and political circumstances, the D’s simply weren’t trying very hard.

  7. rosalind says:

    congrats to John Hickenlooper, new governor of Colorado! on a sad note, his cousin, director George Hickenlooper, died suddenly in Denver a few days ago when he was in town to help his cousin in the home stretch. George’s film “Casino Jack” about Jack Abramoff and starring Kevin Spacey, will be getting released later this year.

    • bmaz says:

      Crikey, I heard about George and knew he must be related to John, but was not sure and did not have the time to check. Bummer.

  8. Rayne says:

    I want him gone. Out. Nothing but a vapor trail.

    I’m ready to concentrate the next month on getting a real DNC chair. Who’s up for it?

  9. rosalind says:

    OK, this cracked me up: California election returns could play big in suburban Chicago

    If things go well for California Democrats, Tuesday could be a huge day for Carl Sandburg High School near Chicago. Why? Because the suburban public school could soon have two of its alumni holding statewide office in the nation’s most populous state.

    State Controller John Chiang, class of 1980, is up for reelection and Assemblyman Dave Jones, a Sacramento Democrat also from the class of 1980, is seeking to join him as insurance commissioner.

    The Democratic duo know each other well: they were president (Jones) and vice-president (Chiang) of their high school at the same time.

    The pair swept into office on an anti-disco platform.

    “Disco music was going out, and punk and new wave music was coming in,” Jones said in an interview earlier this year.

  11. somethingblue says:

    I’m as devastated by Glenn Nye’s departure as I would be by Ben Nelson’s or Joe Lieberman’s. Good riddance, Glenn, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

  12. Mauimom says:

    Is there a tally anywhere re which among the “Democratic losers” [meaning ones who lost their seats] are real “losers” [Rahm DINOs]? I.e., don’t let the door hit them . . .

    • bayofarizona says:

      Periello, grayson. Challengers McKuster, Seals

      Ike Skelton’s voting against everything libs wanted didn’t save him, just like it didn’t save Linc Chaffee in 2006. Politicians are too dumb to understand politics.

      • bobschacht says:

        For completeness, one should add that 80 progressives were also running for re-election– and 76 (95%) of them got re-elected.

        So, only 55% of Blue Dogs got re-elected, and 95% of Progressives got re-elected. What this means is that the House Democratic Caucus in the new Congress will be more liberal.

        Bob in AZ

  13. Mauimom says:

    Bahaha. Happen to be listening to KO as NBC [and thus he] are announcing the Harry Reid win. He then described the Senate as “49 real Democrats, Bernie Sanders who caucuses with the Democrats and Joe Lieberman” — then KO uttered a loud, snorting, derisive laugh.

    • spanishinquisition says:

      I’m sure Obama will be completely heartbroken that he supposedly wont be able to get rid of DADT/DOMA

    • Surtt says:

      I think he is.
      All Obama cares about is appearances and this makes him look bad, no mater how he tries to spin it.

      • JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin says:

        All Obama cares about is appearances and this makes him look bad,

        That’s true. Obama’s not going to like this at all. He doesn’t care about the substance of why he lost, but how these losses make him look deeply foolish in front of the world. He came in with supermajorities and less than 2 years later, he resurrects the GOP by dissing his own base, loses the House, and barely keeps the Senate (mainly because the GOP nominated several crazy people).

        Not to mention Mark Kirk winning Obama’s former seat makes Obama look REALLY bad (considering he was campaigning for Alex G). I kind of laughed at that.

    • liberaldem says:

      Yes, now we only have 212+ frothing at the mouth teabag republicans in the way of repealing DADT…as well as a president who genuinely doesn’t like gays.

  17. Sixth Estate says:

    Here’s what Chris Bowers said back in January 2009:

    In short, the DNC will be moving away from the long-term, decentralized, fifty-state strategy of Howard Dean’s tenure, and toward serving as a short-term, centralized re-election effort for President Obama in 2012…

    The fifty-state strategy of 2005-2008 is going to be replaced with the “re-elect President Obama” strategy of 2009-2012. Both have their advantages, but I still consider firing the 200 state party organizers a real blow to the long-term development of local Democratic Party talent and infrastructure.

    All Obama and Tim Kaine care about is Obama. Massive losses this year are unimportant to them – all that matters is re-electing Obama in 2012 so he can cash out at a higher pay grade to Wall Street in 2016.

      • Sixth Estate says:

        Obama is an opportunist who only cares about himself, but he is also incredibly stupid. If he was smart, he would have passed his health insurance give-away plan quicker and with less drama, so it wouldn’t have been so obvious how corrupt the process was.

        He wants to be BFF with the Republicans and can’t understand why they are so mean to him. He truly does not get that the Republicans want to destroy him. If only he’s nicer/more hawkish/more conciliatory, maybe they will invite him to their parties!

        For a guy who is president, he is completely pathetic. Unfortunately, pathetic people in a position of power can be incredibly destructive.

    • cbl says:

      look at how spot on Bowers was – there was all but public sniping about this a few months back – grumbles about ‘resources’ being re-sourced to OFA 2012 via Plouffe

      right on

    • dude says:

      Let’s not forget the Rahm-boy who was the WH enforcer of election strategy to the subordinates.

      Dean’s strategy was the thing that got Dems to win again. Obama-Rahma’s is what has them losing again.

      Credit where it is due.

  20. Adam503 says:

    If you’re looking for ideas, I know a guy.

    He’s perfect for the job.

    Has had problems with hot mikes in the past.

    He’s got the health care issue down.

    Got a 50 state strategy and everything.

    Wanna call the guy who swept YOU into office, Mr. President?

    • taylorbad says:

      Absolutely. I want the Democrats to be led by a guy who really wants to win AND then govern. Dean isn’t perfect but he fits the bill better than anyone else the Dems have on the field.

  21. Nathan Aschbacher says:

    Why would Obama fire Time Kaine? Republicans taking the House is a feature, not a bug. How else is the Deficit Commission going to upend the remainder of our social safety net?

  23. TarheelDem says:

    Perriello’s office was burglarized this morning. What was removed were–get this–door hangers that told where to go vote. According to reports those door hangers that had polling places identified on them that were wrong for the doorknobs they were hung on were distributed to UVa students. A “Hurt for Congress” yard sign was left in front of the Perriello offices.

    Not everything in an election is driven by policy.

  24. spanishinquisition says:

    Obama probably gave the $30 million to OFA expressly to get these results so that he gets the double bonus of getting more money for himself while getting the Congress he really wanted all along.

  25. chitowner says:

    Kane’s not great, but he didn’t cause this. Obama hand picked him for the job. The buck stops with Obama, who’s done the lousiest job of anybody handed a mandate and both chambers of Congress in a crisis. He had two predecessors he could have modeled – either of the Roosevelts – for guidance in achieving reforms in bad times. Both those guys came to power when regular people had been run over by uber-capitalist pigs and they achieved major progressive reforms. Obama, may be a brilliant guy, but he has yet to prove to me he really gives a shit about regular people or can accomplish anything beyond nice speeches that make people feel good. God, I hope Reid loses. If leadership of the Senate doesn’t change, there won’t be any competent Democratic leadership in D.C. at all.

  26. Cujo359 says:

    I agree that Tim Kaine should be fired. He should have been in trouble last January, after the loss in MA. Still, he’s Obama’s man, which means he’ll probably be there unless enough of the Democratic Party revolts that Obama has no choice but to let him go.

  27. tammanytiger says:

    Hey, I live in southeast Michigan, the home of the Detroit “Lions.”* We’re used to organizations that rot from the top down. In fact, Kaine might be a prime hire for the “Lions'” front office.

    * The scare quotes are inserted because the lion is a symbol of strength. That characteristic hardly describes Detroit’s NFL franchise.

    • liberalarts says:

      I’m not sure. I don’t know what to think of Pelosi, I can’t get an accurate read. Personally, she’s pretty liberal, but I don’t know what to make of her tenure as Speaker. Be interesting to read Jane on the subject.

    • wagonjak says:

      No I don’t BB…I’ve never understood the absolute hated of Pelosi by the Repukes and the carrying of the water for this theme by the bobble heads in the media. All she is guilty of is being a strong woman leader, and that drove the right wing crazy…

  29. prostratedragon says:

    Now here’s a thinkpiece from an unexpected source: the advice columnist at Salon. An inquirer writes

    I think I am in love with a narcissist. If so, is there anything to be done about it?

    The person thinks that this fellow is a narcissist because of his constant, blameshifting insistence on being right and that malfunctions must be the fault of the other party. Nonetheless, the sunny charm of which he is capable (when the mood strikes him) makes him difficult to leave.

    Cary Tennis’s reply is worth repeating:

    Leave the narcissist.

    You don’t have to be ready. You might never be ready. Do it anyway. […]

    The narcissist is never going to stop doing what he’s doing. But you can stop doing what you’re doing.

    The time seems to have come for the broad base —cause that’s what we are— to figure out what it is we need to stop doing, and stop doing it. This won’t be easy. For instance, notice that many of the best targets for the current moment have been shipped off already, leaving the stage to low-visibility targets like Tim Kaine. Yes, he’s responsible for enough of this debacle that he should be fired, like, now, but forcing that issue is an inside job unless the right angle is taken.

    For starters, we might wonder why the President’s home city had a turnout of barely over 50 percent. (The link will update as final results trickle in.) That’s a pretty good proxy for lack of state-level or local effort.

    I mean, sure, having Daley suddenly announce his retirement might have thrown a monkey wrench into the gotv machinery, though I don’t see why on the other hand that wouldn’t have been a fine occasion for a last hurrah for the old so-and-so, but still, a strong Chicago turnout could have easily turned the tide, and you’d think that could have been the easiest managerial task possible for the national chairman. No?

  30. jonathangelling says:

    I don’t know, Tim Kaine did a “heck of a job” compared to Michael Steele’s RNC. Both recruitment and fundraising were good. I think the blame should be penned squarely where it belongs: Obama and his failed, unpopular policies. If he’d put in place a foreclosure moratorium and direct jobs program right at the start of his term, the Dems would’ve held their majority today. I’m sure of it.

    In other news: is MSNBC seriously trying to spin this as a win? In what universe is losing 6-8 Senate seats, 60-65 House seats, and 8 governorships in all the swing states a win?

  36. kuvasz says:

    Tim Kaine is a corporate toady and absolute fuck up, but he was appointed by Barack Obama and the fault lies with him.

    I hope the Republicans impeach and convict Obama. It is the only way to get rid of this unmitigated disaster before the 2012 elections.

  37. dhfsfc says:

    Dems will get rid of Kaine when they get rid of Obama.

    We’re on a lame horse here, guys, and the next two years aren’t going to get any better.

    Time to look for another contender.

  38. jodo says:

    Weak Soldout Democratic leadership across the board starting with Obama himself. These elections are pretty much meaningless otherwise. Given Obama’s record if the the Democrats had gained larger majorities in the House and Senate it would have made zero difference. Chaulk one up to money and influence once again. Who knew?

  39. acmavm says:

    He’s not working out, and never did, for me at all. See, I’m a DEMOCRAT. Have been for decadees and decades (a little exaggeration there but you get the point). Kaine and the Obama crowd are NOT democrats.

    And that logs. A pastel blue ‘D’ with a circle around it. See, they lied again. The didn’t run the black line through the whole thing. What they really ‘stand’ for is NO DEMOCRATS wanted.

  40. wagonjak says:

    FIRE TIM KAINE! He has done an absolutely horrible job at getting the Dem message out. Pushing Howard Dean out for this a$$hat is only one of a number of missteps by Obama and the Dim leadership.

    And good old fightin Harry Reid retained his seat, even though his wimpy leadership in the Senate contributed to this debacle today.

    And no doubt the Dim leadership will get all the wrong message from this…they waz too radical and need to move more to the center and make happy with the Repukes.

    FIRE TIM KAINE!!!!!

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