Even Republicans don't trust Trump

Kaine: Even Republicans don't trust Trump

Hillary Clinton's running mate invokes Kasich and former first lady Barbara Bush as he makes his case against Trump.

By Nick Gass

Hillary Clinton is someone to be trusted, Tim Kaine declared Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, and Donald Trump is not. Just ask some Republicans, Kaine suggested.

One not need look far to see that the United States “is too great to put it in the hands of a slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting, one-man wrecking crew,” Kaine said Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, in a speech mixing Spanish, a mocking impression of Trump and a steadfast commitment to Clinton on the ticket.

“Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth,” Kaine said. “Not one word.”

The crowd chanted “not one word” for several moments.

“But don’t take it from me. Take it from former first lady Barbara Bush. Barbara Bush said she didn’t know how any woman could vote for him after his offensive comments. Any woman. Any woman,” Kaine continued. “Or John McCain’s economic adviser during the ’08 race – who estimated that Trump’s promises would cost America 3.5 million jobs. Or the independent analysts that found Trump’s tax plan, a gift to the wealthy and big corporations, would rack up $30 trillion in debt.”

Or, Kaine continued, “John Kasich, the Republican governor who had the honor of hosting the Republican convention in Cleveland but wouldn’t even attend it because Trump is such a moral disaster.”

Kaine also invoked the person who has lived and breathed Trump's life story. “Or take it from the guy who co-wrote Trump’s autobiography. Here's what he said about Trump, for Trump, ‘lying is second nature to him,’” Kaine said.

“So do you believe him,” he asked, gesturing to his right. “I don’t know, how about on this side, do you guys believe him,” he asked, moving to his left. “I mean do you guys believe him? Is there anyone in this building who believes him?

After each question, the answer was a resounding “No!”

A Midwest-born-and-bred, Spanish-speaking, centrist Democratic senator from Virginia, Kaine on Wednesday flashed a preview of how he plans to simultaneously run alongside Clinton and take down Trump for the next 104 days.

“Now, last week in Cleveland, we heard a lot about trust. So let’s talk about trust. I want to tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton,” Kaine said.

“First, she’s consistent,” Kaine said, noting her work with the Children’s Defense Fund and children’s health care efforts as first lady.

For Clinton, Kaine said, “it’s not just words … it’s accomplishments,” going on to list her achievements as a senator for New York in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and her service as secretary of state that saw the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Kaine also paid respect to his “spectacular” Senate colleague Bernie Sanders, who like him, also used to be a mayor. “And, everybody, we all should feel the Bern and we should all not want to get burned by the other guy,” Kaine ad-libbed.

“Hillary Clinton and I are companeros del alma,” Kaine declared. “We share this belief: Do all the good you can. Serve one another. That’s what I’m about. That’s what you’re about. That’s what Bernie Sanders is about. That’s what Joe and Jill Biden are about. That’s what Barack and Michelle Obama are about. And that’s what Hillary Clinton is about.”


President Barack Obama touted the strides made during his presidency while urging voters to support Hillary Clinton.
Observing that the next president will face many challenges, Kaine broke out the Spanish he mastered as a Catholic missionary in Honduras, where he “learned that the best compliment you could give someone was to say they were ‘listo’—ready.”

“Not inteligente-smart. Not amable-friendly. Not rico—rich,” he said. “But listo … and Hillary Clinton is lista.”

Kaine’s selection has drawn the ire of Bernie Sanders supporters, who, displeased with his selection threatened to cause a scene inside Wells Fargo Center.

And Trump, seeking to exploit that divide, has pointed to Kaine’s differences with Sanders. “KAINE IS OUT OF STEP WITH BERNIE SANDERS' PRIORITIES,” blared a campaign email immediately before Kaine took the stage at Wells Fargo Center. A subsequent Trump email pointed to a dismal analysis of his governorship in addition to a Washington Times report that said Kaine’s “administration lacks a signature legislative accomplishment” like that of his predecessor, Mark Warner. In another statement, the Trump campaign compared Kaine negatively with its No. 2, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

“Governor Mike Pence has a jobs record that is something to be proud of, while Senator Tim Kaine’s record leaves much to be desired,” the campaign said, sharing bleak job numbers from before and after Kaine’s tenure.

A three-and-a-half-minute biography preceded Kaine’s speech, a video that touted his “working-class start” in the Kansas City area, his Catholic missionary work in Honduras where he developed a fluency in Spanish and his wife Anne’s father, Linwood Holton, who as the Republican governor of Virginia voluntarily placed his children in majority African-American schools.

“Anne and Tim are also raising a family, sending their children to the same public school Anne had attended,” a narrator said in the video. “They still live in the same house they moved into 24 years ago.”

The video also highlighted Kaine as governor in the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

“Tim Kaine has always helped people rise above the things that divide us,” the video said, extolling his “life’s work, built on the principle that we are stronger together.”

Kaine offered soft-spoken justification for his readiness as second in command in his first joint interview with Clinton last weekend.

“I think I'm ready to lead. I'm ready first to be a supportive vice president so that the presidency of Hillary Clinton is … a fantastic one,” Kaine told 60 Minutes. “But if something were to put that in my path, as much as any human being would be ready, I'd be ready. And you got to approach it with humility.”

“But, you know what? You know, missionary, civil rights lawyer, local official, state official, federal official, like, I've — I've climbed, and I haven't missed a rung on the ladder. And if it were to if it were to come that way, I could do it.”