Tim Kaine Is A Consistent LGBT Ally

As the Democrat National Convention gets underway some Bernie Sanders supporters continue to whine that Tim Kaine is not "progressive enough."  Personally, I believe that such views are the result of lack of knowledge about Tim Kaine - a man who is a household name in Virginia, especially among Democrats.  On the issue of LGBT rights, Kaine has been a consistent ally and has pressed for the advancement of LGBT rights and fought against the Christofascists in Virginia and elsewhere. GayRVA has a piece that gives a brief retrospective on Tim Kaine's efforts in the realm of LGBT rights.  Here are highlights: 

Tim Kaine was brought onto the Democratic Presidential ticket as Vice President last week and that’s good news for Virginia’s, and the country’s, LGBTQ population.

In Hilary Clinton’s intro speech she called Kaine “a progressive who likes to get things done” and commented on his “commitment to social justice” during his tenure in the Commonwealth. Mostly notable, however, was his commitment to LGBTQ issues as best he could in his role as Governor from 2006- 2010 as well as his more recent time in the Senate.

He took time in his first 2016 campaign speech to recall those efforts when he asked people to remember the importance of America’s “rainbow of cultural diversity that embraces all people…regardless of sexual orientation.”

Kaine’s first year as a Virginia Senator  earned him a score of 90 from the Human Right’s Campaign. He lost 10 points for failing to endorse the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, but made up for it in other ways.

In 2015 he co-sponsored the Equality Act, which seeks a federal law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace and housing. And later that year he introduced  Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act which aimed to provide equal treatment for LGBTQ couples under federal tax laws.

Kaine’s support for LGBTQ rights stretches back before his time in the Senate.

When he was on the campaign trail in 2011, Kaine spoke out against a law which allows state-funded, private adoption agencies the right to deny adoptions to same-sex couples.

“I think the best interest of the child is a pretty hard standard to argue with and I think that ought to be the standard,’’ Kaine told the Washington Post. “I don’t think we should be putting artificial barriers in front of the judges who are sitting there with the family.”

It was during this interview he also told the post his views on same-sex marriage had changed and he now supported marriage equality.

But even before that, when he won in 2006 and became Governor of Virginia, one of his first executive orders was to provide protections for LGBTQ state employees.

Kaine also campaigned against the Marshall Newman Amendment, Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was put on the ballot the year he entered office.

“Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) urged Virginians to vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions, saying the ballot question puts thousands of unmarried couples at risk of losing a slew of benefits,” read a Washington Post article published in a few months before the referendum.

[I]f his record over the last decade is any indicator of his views on these issues, he should make a great ally in the Whitehouse.

Michael Bloomberg to Endorse Hillary Clinton

The list of moderate Republicans and independents who are refusing to support Donald trump and the now neo-Nazi Republican Party continues to grow.  Some are even beginning to endorse Hillary Clinton given their dismay and fear for the nation should Donald Trump gain the White House.  One such individual is billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg who, in my view, understand economic matters far, far better than carnival barker, con-artist Donald Trump.  The New York Times has details of Bloomberg's endorsement of Clinton and upcoming prime time speech at the Democrat National Convention.  Here are excerpts:

Michael R. Bloomberg, who bypassed his own run for the presidency this election cycle, will endorse Hillary Clinton in a prime-time address at the Democratic convention and make the case for Mrs. Clinton as the best choice for moderate voters in 2016, an adviser to Mr. Bloomberg said.

The news is an unexpected move from Mr. Bloomberg, who has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an independent.

But it reflects Mr. Bloomberg’s increasing dismay about the rise of Donald J. Trump and a determination to see that the Republican nominee is defeated.

Mrs. Clinton is seeking to reach out to middle-of-the-road swing voters and even moderate Republicans uneasy about Mr. Trump. Polls show that significant numbers of Republicans remain wary of Mr. Trump, and question his fitness for the presidency.

Mr. Bloomberg will vouch for Mrs. Clinton “from the perspective of a business leader and an independent,” said Howard Wolfson, a senior adviser to Mr. Bloomberg.

“As the nation’s leading independent and a pragmatic business leader, Mike has supported candidates from both sides of the aisle,” Mr. Wolfson said. “This week in Philadelphia he will make a strong case that the clear choice in this election is Hillary Clinton.”

[W]ith the Republican nominee basing his campaign on his background as a businessman, Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire media executive and philanthropist, may help counter the Trump sales pitch.

It is unusual, but not unheard of, for a speaker who is not a member of a political party to address that party’s convention. Mr. Bloomberg is expected to speak on Wednesday, the same evening as President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Mr. Bloomberg and Mrs. Clinton are not personally close, but had a positive working relationship when he served as mayor and she as a senator from New York.

Mr. Bloomberg was pleased by the selection of Senator Tim Kaine, a former mayor of Richmond, Va., and a strong supporter of gun control, as Mrs. Clinton’s running mate.

Mr. Bloomberg is not an entirely natural fit for the Democratic Party of 2016: Though he has been an energetic advocate on issues related to guns, immigration and climate change, he has also been a vocal ally of the financial services industry and has defended the strict policing tactics his administration employed in New York.

Mr. Bloomberg has been quiet about the presidential race in recent months. But in the past he has criticized Mr. Trump in stark terms, describing him as a threat to American security.

When he decided late last winter not to run for the White House, Mr. Bloomberg explained that he could not take the risk of running an independent campaign that might inadvertently ease Mr. Trump’s path to power.

Michael Nutter, the former Philadelphia mayor, said he expected Mr. Bloomberg to receive a “warm and positive welcome” from delegates, even thought he is not a Democrat. Mr. Nutter said it made political sense to go after voters outside the party: Mr. Bloomberg, he said, could help persuade other business leaders to back Mrs. Clinton, “in some cases Republican business people.”

“I think Mike Bloomberg gives validation to Hillary Clinton and the campaign,” said Mr. Nutter, a Democrat. “We want to win, and everybody has a role to play.” 

Donald Trump and his supporters pose an existential threat to America and democracy.  Trump must be defeated to protect the nation and hopefully, more and more independents - and moderate Republicans willing to put the best interests of America ahead of partisan politics - will realize this and support the Democratic ticket.