Virginia's Kaine Warns Democrats Protectionism Is a `Loser'

By Scott Lanman

May 30 (Bloomberg) -- Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine, parting with some fellow Democrats, said he's ``passionate'' about strengthening global-trade ties and that those advocating protectionism have a ``loser's mentality.''

``The only way you'll succeed is by being an aggressive competitor rather than trying to hoard your dwindling assets,'' Kaine, 49, said in an interview yesterday in Washington with Bloomberg News editors and reporters.

Democrats won control of Congress last year in part by appealing to voter anger over the loss of jobs to countries such as China. The balance in the Senate was tipped by Kaine's fellow Virginia Democrat, James Webb, who said after narrowly defeating Republican incumbent George Allen that leaders must deal with the ``growing unfairness in this age of globalization.''

Kaine, whose administration has made three international- trade trips since he was elected in 2005, said some state skeptics are becoming believers. He cited spending on factories in Danville, Virginia, 266 miles southwest of Washington, by Swedish furniture retailer Ikea and India's Essel Propack Ltd., which makes toothpaste tubes.

Without identifying him, Kaine cited the views of Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who was quoted in the New York Times last year as saying of free-trade agreements: ``I was a critic of Nafta, I was a critic of Cafta and I'll be a critic of Shafta.''

``I always laugh when I hear that, but I really think that it's wrong,'' Kaine said. ``This is something I feel really passionate about.''

`Good Start'

Kaine, whose approval rating was 67 percent among state residents in a May poll by SurveyUSA, also said the agreement in Congress to overhaul U.S. immigration law is a ``good start'' because it has bipartisan support and that keeping the flow of labor into the country is crucial.

``The most precious commodity in the world is talent,'' Kaine said. ``If we say no to them or put up barriers to them, we're cutting our own wrists.''

Kaine, like other Virginia governors, is limited to one four-year term. He was previously lieutenant governor under predecessor Mark Warner after serving as mayor of Richmond, the state capital, and working as an attorney for 17 years.

Virginia's northern suburbs are among the highest-income counties in the U.S. and are home to many of the lobbyists, bureaucrats and defense contractors who work in Washington.

National Profile

Kaine has gained a national profile since his election in November 2005. He delivered the national Democratic response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union address in January 2006 and endorsed Senator Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat, for the party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Of Obama, Kaine said he was ``stunned'' that independent and Republican voters supported the freshman senator at a recent fundraising event Kaine hosted.

``There's an excitement there that I think makes him a real compelling candidate,'' said Kaine, whose mother shares a hometown of El Dorado, Kansas, with Obama's mother.

Kaine said Obama has the ability to do well in Virginia, whose voters have supported the Republican ticket in every presidential election since 1968.

``Virginia is going to be in play in the presidential race in 2008 in a way that it hasn't been since 1964,'' Kaine said, citing such events as Webb's win and Democratic candidate John Kerry's 45 percent showing in 2004. ``The electoral votes will be up for grabs.''

Virginia Tech

Last month, Kaine returned early from an Asian trade mission after 32 people were killed by a mentally ill student at Blacksburg's Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.

While a panel he appointed to conduct an independent review of the school's handling of the massacre does its work, ``I'm trying not to form too many judgments'' before the committee issues its recommendations in September, Kaine said. More funding for mental-health services may be needed, he said.

In a separate gun-related matter, the governor said he supports efforts by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to crack down on firearms dealers who sell to buyers making purchases for criminals. Still, Kaine said it was wrong for the city to send teams of private investigators to Virginia in a sting operation without the knowledge of local authorities.

``I support what the mayor wants to do,'' Kaine said. At the same time, ``there is a very important law-enforcement principle at stake'' in retaining local authority over such investigations, he said.

Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Lanman in Washington at slanman@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: May 30, 2007 07:18 EDT

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