Kaine to DNC No Big News

The leaked word today is that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine would take over the leadership of the Democratic National Committee (first on a parttime basis, and then fulltime once his term as governor expires at the end of this year), is not really much news at all. The reason for this is that the formal head of the Democratic Party -- the party soon to be in control of the White House -- is a mostly powerless position: President Obama will be the true head of the Dems, and his decisions will guide its decision-making at the national level. Whoever heads the party is a cheerleader and salesman (mostly on tv) for the President's agenda and policies, and a bagman who concentrates on being a prolific fundraiser (and really, Obama himself will be the party's biggest draw and the top fundraiser by a very sizable margin).

When it comes down to it, this appointment says on two key things. First, that the head of the party has to be a staunch loyalist to the President, and Obama gets that in Kaine, one of the very first big elected officials to endorse Obama's presidential run. Second, this is a reward for Kaine's early and vociferous support of Obama. Because Kaine's term as governor does not end for another year, this factor likely played a big part in Kaine not obtaining a cabinet position as he would have had to leave the governorship in the hands of the Republican Lieutenant Governor. Consequently, with Kaine slated to be out of work at the start of 2010, Obama wanted to put him in a high-profile (albeit institutionally weak) position in order to remain relevant until a nicer slot opens up (perhaps in the cabinet or elsewhere). Reading too much into what this job means for Kaine or Obama should thus be avoided.