Tim Kaine vs. Hung Cao
I liked Tim Kaine a lot more before he became Hillary Clinton’s V.P. candidate. Virginia is a politically moderate state and Tim Kaine reflected that. It seemed to me that once he became the V.P. candidate, he tacked to the left to appeal to the base of the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, as Democrats go, he is something of a moderate, center-left candidate. His opponent Hung Cao, has hard right views that are consistent with those of his most significant endorsement, Donald Trump. It is actually hard to distill Cao’s positions from listening to his debate performance. His military service and education are to his credit, but it did not prepare him for politics or public policy debate. In general, he simply ignores the question and gives a rambling discussion of a related or unrelated issue. Kaine is obviously better at this and at least gives the appearance of answering the question.
Immigration
Cao, like many Republican candidates in this cycle, tends to blame most public policy problems on illegal immigration. One wonders what these candidates would say if Trump had not intervened to prevent the passage of the bi-partisan immigration act. Yes, he is right that the Biden administration waited too long to do something, but he appears to endorse mass deportation, which would be harmful to the economy. I am not sure whether Cao, like many of his Republican peers, blames immigrants for high housing costs. It would be ironic if he did, since he is a refugee himself. He and his family are taking up housing that could add to the supply for native born Americans. Does he find fault in this? He does say that immigrants should wait in line for citizenship. I am guessing he, at least, would draw a distinction between legal and illegal immigration, but many in his party don’t. I wonder how he feels about JD Vance’s view that those who have not grown up here with generational roots in the community can never be fully American.
Inflation, the Economy, Energy and Climate Change
Every country in the G10, America’s economic peers, experienced the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some experienced slightly lower inflation at the cost of significantly lower economic growth and employment. I would never claim that all of the stimulus programs supported during this era were ideal, but the decision to engage in fiscal stimulus, under the circumstances, is certainly defensible. I suspect the rest of the G10 now envy our growth and employment record.
Kaine supports the Biden administration’s policies and argues that bringing down prescription drug prices, attacking “price-gouging,” and subsidizing rent and housing purchases are the answers to higher costs. Allowing Medicare to negotiate over drug prices might be good policy in its own right, but it has little to do with the overall economic issue. Anti-price gouging legislation and subsidies for rent and new house purchases are counter-productive. In this regard, Kaine notes that the Republican Governor of Virginia has also threatened the use of state level “anti-price gouging” legislation. This helps explain why I, and so many other Americans, are independents.
It did not come up in the debate, but Hung Cao appears to believe that climate change is a hoax.
Cao, seems to think that energy independence is the best solution for the American economy. Kaine touts the Biden administration’s record and making America energy independent. All of this is nonsense on both sides. Neither side scores any points with me on this issue.
Abortion
Kaine supports codifying Roe v. Wade legislatively at the national level and also supports some restrictions on abortion like those that apply in Virginia. I think national legislation to codify Roe v. Wade is a good idea. Unfortunately, it is not likely to be accomplished without abandoning the filibuster rule in the Senate, which I view as a mistake. If this legislation is passed, it will likely face a challenge on constitutional grounds. That is a complicated question, but I am sure that there are constitutionally defensible actions that Congress can take to protect reproductive rights.
Cao has advocated for personhood rights from the point of conception. As Kaine points out, it is hard to reconcile this with Cao’s current position on IVF or any reasonable position on reproductive right in general.
The 2020 Election and Jan 6th
Hung Cao has been evasive on the outcome of the 2020 election but has voiced support for the Jan 6th protestors, suggesting that they should be compensated.
The Endorsement
This is not a difficult decision. Kaine is a moderate Democrat, who I think would be even more moderate if his party would let him. Cao is a strange choice for the party. His only other notable endorsement, besides Donald Trump, came from Oliver North, notable for many things, including being head of the NRA. Surely, the Republican Party can do better than this.
I endorse Tim Kaine for re-election to the U.S. Senate from Virginia.
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Thanks for doing the homework. Your endorsement makes sense to me.