To many on the left, Tim Kaine’s selection as the Democratic VP nominee was disappointing more for who Kaine wasn’t than for who he was. Kaine beat out Julián Castro and Tom Perez, either one of whom would’ve been the first Hispanic person on a national ticket ever. He beat out his Senate colleague Cory Booker, who’d be the first black VP pick, and only the second black politician on a major-party national ticket. By picking Kaine, the grievance goes, Clinton chose to try to reassure white voters at the expense of better representing the multiracial coalition behind the Democratic party.

Judging by Kaine’s debut as running-mate in Miami, FL on Saturday, the Clinton campaign is keenly aware of this critique, and eager to answer it. Kaine’s speech seemed tailor-made to try to persuade the Democratic base that this white dude from a purple state with a fairly centrist track record is nonetheless an ally, nonetheless gets it

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All of this not only contributes to the Clinton campaign’s efforts to depict Kaine as a selfless, hard-working fighter against injustice, it sends a powerful message to black voters. Kaine is not one of those liberals who posts #BlackLivesMatter statuses on Facebook but won’t send his kids to black schools. He’s not someone who recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates books but crosses the street when he sees a black kid in a hoodie. He is an active, committed anti-racist who dedicated his career to fighting the remnants of Jim Crow in one of its historical centers.

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/23/12263516/tim-kaine-white-male-ally-civil-rights