Va. governor visits Ariz., offers take on election

One of the Democratic Party's brightest young stars was in Arizona Sunday.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, 50, was the keynote speaker for roughly 500 Democrats gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center for the state party's annual Hall of Fame Dinner. Elected in 2005, he has risen quickly in Democratic circles, and was reportedly among several short-list names Barack Obama considered as his running mate. Sunday evening, Kaine sat down with The Arizona Republic for five questions:

Question: In Virginia and Arizona, you've got two red states that are seemingly on the cusp of turning blue. What's going on here? Is there a bigger trend or is it just part of the usual political ebb and flow?

Answer: "I see a lot of similarities between Virginia and Arizona. First, people care about results. In Virginia, we're up close and personal with Washington. Economy's been mismanaged. War's been mismanaged. Katrina. There are so many things over the last eight years that have really made Virginians mad, whereas we've had two Democratic governors in a row. People are like, 'You know, we used to vote Republican, but we kind of like the Democrats who are getting things done.'"

Q: The McCain campaign in recent days has been raising concerns about Barack Obama, noting his connections with folks like William Ayers, Tony Rezko and Rev. (Jeremiah) Wright. What do you say to voters who are concerned about some of those ties, past and present?

A: "What I'd say first is: I meet no voters who are concerned about those ties. I meet voters who are deeply concerned about the economy and wanting to change the direction of our economy. And they want to change the direction of our national security policy. They're frankly frightened at the headlines they're seeing in the newspapers about the meltdown of the financial institutions and home foreclosures. What I hear voters saying is, "You've got to be kidding me. Talk to me about the issues that are causing me concern.' It's kind of a Hail Mary strategy that I don't see working with the independent voters that I know in Virginia."

Q: If Democrats do claim the presidency and a strong hold on the Congress, how does the party avoid some of the pitfalls of corruption and complacency that sidelined Republicans in recent years?

A: "There is a challenge. Minority parties tend to be hungry. Then they work hard to get to be majority parties, and then majority parties spend time fighting with each other. Look, we're in a time of national crisis. That rivets the attention. Once Barack wins, and I believe that he will, it won't be divided government. All pieces with be under Democratic control (and) that means there's maximum accountability."

Q: Are you sure it's a good thing to have control of all government at this time in our history when you have two wars and the economy doing what it is? There's some risk, isn't there?

A: "The greater risk is inaction. Right now, with so many tough issues on the table, I think having the three pieces (White House, U.S. House and Senate) basically all in Democratic hands will be positive. Then people can say, 'OK, now you guys have got to produce. You can't blame it on the other guy.'"

Q: Obviously your name was among those reportedly on the short-list for VP this year. Where are we going to see you in eight years from now?

A: "I have no idea. I finish my term in January of 2010 and I can't run for re-election. So, I have no idea what I'm going to do next, but I'm not too worried about it. Late in '09, I'll start to think about that. There's so many good ways to serve people. I'm sure I'll figure something out."

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine