Tim Kaine: Hillary Clinton’s pick for vice president

Hillary Clinton’s choice of Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine to be her running mate hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but overall it’s been more well-received than not. Kaine is well-liked in the political world, has executive experience, and has become a leading foreign policy voice in the Senate.

Donald Trump has naturally tried to damage that reputation, attempting to dub the soon-to-be VP nominee “Corrupt Kaine” due to expensive gifts he accepted during his years in state politics:

Many progressives weren’t particularly thrilled when Hillary Clinton picked Tim Kaine as her running mate. They questioned his stances on things like bank regulation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and they were unhappy that Kaine personally opposes abortion.

Kaine’s position on abortion is a bit complicated, though. He has said, and still says, that he personally opposes abortion as a Catholic. He has also supported or voted for abortion restrictions in the past — including during his stint as Virginia’s governor.

To many on the left, Tim Kaine’s selection as the Democratic vice presidential nominee was disappointing more for who Kaine isn’t than for who he is. Kaine beat out Julián Castro and Tom Perez, either one of whom would’ve been the first Hispanic person on a national ticket ever. He beat out his Senate colleague Cory Booker, who’d be the first black VP pick and only the second black politician on a major-party national ticket.

By picking Kaine, the objec goes, Clinton chose to try to reassure white voters at the expense of better representing the multiracial coalition behind the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton’s running mate will be Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who is exactly the person it seemed she would choose a month ago (or a year ago or, really, four years ago). It’s all part of the thrilling trend of the Democratic race unfolding in a very predictable way, even amidst all the insanity of 2016.

Unlike Donald Trump, who had major work to do in terms of unifying the Republican Party and has dozens of obvious political weaknesses to shore up, the political stakes for Clinton’s pick were relatively low. She has the Democratic establishment all locked up and has for years. And while she certainly has her weaknesses as a candidate, they’re not really amenable to being fixed through a vice presidential selection.