Thursday, August 4, 2016

#morethanredandblue: Mr. Kaine's Acceptance Speech

Next, we review the speech by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), the Democratic nominee for vice president, and a Catholic. Thanks to NJ.com for the full transcript of Kaine's speech; all excerpts are in indented italics as worded in their transcript.
"I went to a Jesuit boys school – Rockhurst High School. The motto of our school was 'men for others.' That's where my faith became vital, a North Star for orienting my life. And I knew that I wanted to fight for social justice. That's why I took a year off law school to volunteer with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. I taught kids welding and carpentry. Aprendí los valores del pueblo — fe, familia, y trabajo. Faith, family, and work. Los mismos valores de la comunidad Latina aquí en nuestro pais. Somos Americanos todos."
Saving some of Mr. Kaine's other political positions for a moment, here we get a glimpse of Mr. Kaine's autobiography that speaks to the centrality of Catholic Social Teaching to who he is. While the influence that these teachings hold in Mr. Kaine's political positions is suspect, we at least can appreciate the concrete experience that Mr. Kaine has in working with and for those on the margins.
He explicitly credits his Catholic, Jesuit formation and celebrates the Jesuit slogan of being men and women for others. Kaine even took time from his prime years to move to another country, learn their language, and work directly with those on the margins. It's worth commending Mr. Kaine for the time and effort he has dedicated toward opting for the poor. I am hopeful that it endures strongly in his spirit and continues inspiring him to think intentionally about the poor and marginalized people in our world.
"[Mr. Kaine's father-in-law] Lin's example helped inspire me to work as a civil rights lawyer. Over 17 years, I took on banks and landlords, real estate firms and local governments, anyone who treated people unfairly — like the insurance company that was discriminating against minority neighborhoods all across America in issuing homeowners' insurance. These are the battles I've been fighting my whole life. And that's the story of how I decided to run for office. My city of Richmond was divided and discouraged. An epidemic of gun violence overwhelmed our low income neighborhoods. People were pointing fingers and casting blame instead of finding answers. I couldn't stand it. So I ran for city council."
Here, we see a glimpse of how Mr. Kaine's early career as a lawyer and his initial foray into politics were his way of responding to the plight of the poor and marginalized. In his case, Mr. Kaine answers that call while also living out the call of Rights and Responsibilities, valuing his own social rights while also seeking to level the inequalities that endured in American society, first through legal advocacy and then through local government. Again, while some of his ultimate positions are suspect, Mr. Kaine's roots seem to lie solidly along the lines of our social teachings.
"We shed tears in the days after a horrible mass shooting at Virginia Tech, but we rolled up our sleeves, and fixed a loophole in our background check system to make us safer."
Speaking briefly about his time as a "hard times governor" in Virginia, Mr. Kaine talks about the circumstances of the Virginia Tech shooting. Here, he makes a small allusion to his action in tightening gun control laws. The bishops do not push for a repeal of the second amendment, but they do push for reasonable limits and restrictions.

This appears to be a small example of a reasonable limit, where Mr. Kaine tightened a gap that ensured people with mental health histories were more closely monitored and prevented from gun ownership (H/T Politico).
"She's ready because of her faith. She's ready because of her heart."
Mr. Kaine praises Mrs. Clinton's faith. Stay tuned for a closer look on how Mrs. Clinton's remarks square with Catholic Social Teaching.

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To continue vetting Mr. Kaine in the early going, here are some links to read more:





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