I have failed to blog about the conference call that the Kaine campaign held earlier in the week, mostly because my mind has been elsewhere. Suffice it to say, Lt. Governor Tim Kaine held a conference call with a half dozen bloggers on the line — three of us Democrats, and three Republicans. There were neither rules nor restrictions — we were free to say whatever we wanted.
None of us being journalists, but knowing roughly how these things work, we took turns asking questions. Nobody asked anything particularly spectacular, but nobody asked anything rude. Everybody was polite, and Kaine was candid, straightforward, and held his own quite capably. It was a civilized, interesting conversation, and while there were no great breakthroughs or discoveries, Virginia political bloggers are known for being thoughtful, not combative or abrasive. That’s the Virginia way, and the participating Republican bloggers (Will Vehrs, Norman Leahy , and John Behan) deserve a great deal of credit for that.
As with the recent Kaine/Obama event, what I found interesting was not the contents of the event, but the fact that it took place at all. I have never heard of a candidate for governor holding such a conference call with bloggers, to say nothing of an even partisan split. Such an event is risky — a Republican participant, if so inclined, could easily have sprung a particularly tough or embarrassing question on him, making the audio available for all the world via their website. The potential gains are few. After all, we Democrats are already writing positive things about Tim Kaine, and it’s not like we’re likely to ask any particular clever or interesting questions, particularly with Republican bloggers on the line.
A governor holding a conference call with bloggers, and Republican bloggers, at that. Very impressive. Tim Kaine gets it.