Kermit the Frog used to say, “It’s not easy being green.” It’s not so easy being Tim Kaine, either. The Virginia senator who was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate put on a brave face during an appearance at Tufts Monday. In conversation with Alan Solomont, dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts, Kaine said the Democrats’ ignominious defeat at the hands of Donald Trump has been difficult to deal with. But he also tried to make light of it. “It was a wild and surreal ride, and all but the last two hours was really great,” Kaine joked. “Very disappointing. . . . I was 8-0 in elections before this one. I used to say I’m undefeated in elections and now I have to say I’ve never lost the popular vote in any election.” It was a good line and the crowd applauded. For a politician, Kaine is uncharacteristically thoughtful and he showed that at Tufts. In talking about how he copes with the results of the election, he quoted a verse of the Carter Family song “No Depression.” “I’m going where there’s no depression/ To the lovely land that’s free from care/ I’ll leave this world of toil and trouble/ My home’s in heaven, I’m going there.” Said Kaine: “There is a greater thing we can get to out of the hard time we’re living through.”
At Tufts, Tim Kaine says he’s still undefeated in elections — sort of
