Jim Rosica
Give Tim Kaine credit for at least attempting Florida A&M University‘s “Strike, Strike, and Strike Again” chant.
The Democratic vice-presidential candidate and U.S. senator from Virginia stopped by the campus of Tallahassee’s historically black university Friday afternoon.
He greeted several hundred students, donning a green FAMU cap and giving his best approximation of the Rattler Strike, which involves jamming two crooked fingers (the “fangs”) in the air.
The school’s sports teams are named the Rattlers because “when the school relocated to Highwood Plantation in 1891, the rural landscape had an abundance of snakes, especially rattlesnakes,” according to the FAMU website.
Kaine’s strike, however, came off more of an air-quote gesture with a lot of hissing.
The crowd still loved it.
Kaine went on for about 15 minutes, with wife Anne Holton by his side. He hit favorite talking points on college campuses, including “debt-free college for Americans.” (His full remarks, as transcribed by the campaign, are here.)
He also mentioned a bullet point from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton‘s education plan to invest $45 billion in historically black colleges and universities nationally.
Kaine also encouraged students to register to vote before the deadline in Florida, which he said was Oct. 11. The state’s registration form says books close “29 days before any election,” and this Election Day is Nov. 8.
“If your hear somebody say ‘I don’t think my vote matters,’ you should say, ‘well, the other side sure thinks it matters,'” he said. “Because an awful lot of people are doing an awful lot of work to restrict the voting rights of African-Americans.”
He added that “Florida will be one of the closest, possibly the closest, battleground states in this election,” leaving the stage to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
Earlier in the afternoon, Kaine toured Domi Station in Tallahassee, billed as an incubator for startup businesses.
First-term Congresswoman Gwen Graham attended the FAMU rally with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and other local Democratic officials.
After her congressional district was redrawn to lean more Republican, she decided not to run for re-election and said she will consider a 2018 run for Florida governor.
Graham, known for being a “hugger,” told reporters she had indeed hugged both Kaine and Holton: “He’s going to be a wonderful vice president,” she said.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia was not as excited about Kaine.
“Today marks 265 days since Hillary Clinton last held a press conference,” he said in a statement. “Whether it’s the shady actions behind her secret email server or her pay-to-play conflicts of interest surrounding the Clinton Foundation, Floridians have had enough of Hillary Clinton’s lack of transparency and accountability, and deserve answers.
“As Tim Kaine campaigns across the state this weekend, he deserves to be asked whether he condones Clinton’s unethical and unacceptable actions.”
