Crooks and Liars gives a good run-down of some of the issues:

http://crooksandliars.com/...

Ugh. After Howard Dean, could we pick a more disappointing choice for DNC head? After all, what the spinally deficient Dems need is a more milquetoasty, against stem cell research, pro-life, anti-gay chairman whose actions speak directly to his callousness towards those less fortunate directing the candidates and elections to help retain the Democratic majority, doncha know?

Let's start with the gay marriage/civil unions thing. Now for weeks, many have told us GLBT to shut up about Warren. It's just a prayer, it doesn't mean anything. It's about Obama's real policy. Ok, so who does Obama put in charge of the DNC:

http://sicsempertyrannis.blogspot.co...

Only Kaine, a civil rights lawyer, has spoken in favor of granting certain rights to gay couples in long-term relationships. He said he supports the right of gay people in long-term relationships to enjoy the "civil benefits" available to married couples. "I have never said I supported gay civil unions, gay marriages," Kaine told the AP last Friday. "I do believe that people shouldn’t be kicked out of their jobs or discriminated against because of who they are."

How kind of Mr. Kaine. He thinks I should not be kicked out of my house!

But, um, what about gay marriage or, failing that, civil unions:

"Marriage between a man and a woman is the building block of the family and a keystone of our civil society. It has been so for centuries in societies around the world. I cannot agree with a court decision suddenly declaring that marriage must now be redefined to include unions between people of the same gender. "Virginia defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and I strongly support that law. Regardless of the court ruling today in another state, I am confident that there is nothing in the Virginia or federal constitutions that would require Virginia to alter its longstanding policy about marriage."

and..

The Democrat also insisted that he opposes gay marriage and gay civil unions but supports contractual rights for gay and lesbian Virginians.

So, um, for all who said we should wait and see what Obama actually DOES instead of relying on that silly symbolism of Rick Warren, what about a DNC Chair who opposes even civil unions, who will be reinforcing this in his policy arguments? Think we have a right to be outraged now?

Let's move on to stem cell research

http://crooksandliars.com/...

Yesterday on WTOP's "Ask the Governor" hour, Governor Kaine said that he opposed using taxpayer money for embryonic stem cell research. Kaine said that he believed "there are huge advances that can be made in adult stem cell research" and that "that's the way to go."

Hurray, retrograde on that too!

Now, his views on abortion are more nuanced:

I have a faith-based opposition to abortion. As governor, I will work in good faith to reduce abortions by: http://thepublicsquare.blogspot.com/... Enforcing the current Virginia restrictions on abortion and passing an enforceable ban on partial birth abortion that protects the life and health of the mother; Fighting teen pregnancy through abstinence-focused education; Ensuring women's access to health care (including legal contraception) and economic opportunity; and Promoting adoption as an alternative for women facing unwanted pregnancies. We should reduce abortion in this manner, rather than by criminalizing women and doctors. Too often politicians are interested in scoring political points, rather than in reducing the number of abortions. Many of the legislative proposals introduced in the General Assembly, like the ones to require unnecessary building standards for doctor's offices that perform abortions, are just political grandstanding. They encourage division and lawsuits rather than contributing to the goal of reducing abortions.

Ok, so maybe he is like Bob Casey and Harry Reid, people who are anti-choice but don't explicitly do things to limit choice. Still, call me crazy but I really think after 8 years of assault on women's reproductive rights, it would be good to have a DNC Chair that would be pro-choice.

So it seems we have a DNC chair who will care about the 5-state strategy but one who is anti-civil union, anti-stem cell and anti-choice.

I do not see that as particularly encouraging.

And for those ready to bellow, "Obama isn't even elected yet and you're critisizing.." um, I defended Obama wholeheartedly when it came to his cabinet positions. I tend to feel the DNC Chair is a bit of a different story. Tim Kaine will be setting the policy agenda. I'm not wild about someone who will put things like civil unions, stem cell research and women's reproductive rights on the back burner.