Q&A with Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine
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| Washington
Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine previously served as Virginia's governor. He was the guest at the Oct.14 Monitor breakfast in Washington. The Monitor has also extended a breakfast invitation to the Republican Party chairman.
The outlook for Democrats in the midterm elections:
"We're running into a head wind, running uphill, which we acknowledge from the start.... I believe there's a strong uptick in energy on the Democratic side."
How he allocates resources to candidates:
"You don't have a single person that says you're giving me enough.... I'm not going to give a courtesy gift to a person who's going to win, and I'm not going to give a sympathy gift to a person who's going to lose."
Why top Democrats keep talking about former President Bush:
"We do talk about President Bush and Bush-era policies but only because this [Republican congressional] team has promised to embrace them if they get the majority....It is primarily a forward-looking argument."
Rumors he is moving to a cabinet position:
"I was not seeking the job I have. I did it because I was asked.... I'm just going to do what the president wants me to do."
The coming fight in state legislatures to redistrict congressional seats using the 2010 census:
"It's going to be a real blood bath, I would think."
How President Obama might change in the second half of his term:
"He feels like he got elected at a particularly tough time to do hard and important things.... Maybe we can think about the way to talk about it a little differently and communicate it differently. But I don't think the mission will fundamentally change."