Does Obama Ticket Need Humility Injection?

Speculation is rife today that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is at the top of contenders for Senator Obama's running mate. Kaine is a first term governor who has few if any major achievements and does not necessarily strengthen the prospects of carrying Virginia. Interestingly, one of the qualities Kaine conveys---humility---may be a major part of his appeal.

The importance of this attribute is best understood by reading a tough assessment of what the advertising gurus call the "positioning" of Obama himself by Jay Cost of Real Clear Politics.

"....Obama's organization is built around a politically risky meta-narrative.

A meta-narrative is just a campaign's central message, the core claim that connects all of the campaign's assertions. It communicates the candidate's diagnosis of the country and his prescription for the future. Bill Clinton had a great one in 1992: generational change can invigorate a tired government and grow a sagging economy. Clinton's outfit consistently reinforced this narrative.....

Regardless of your political leanings, I encourage you to read this column.

To the extent the Obama campaign is concerned about the need to have voters feel comfortable with the Democratic ticket, Kaine and Evan Bayh are the beneficiaries. Bayh clearly has a much longer, more distinguished record but would almost certainly be replaced by a Republican in the Senate. I like Joe Biden, but his political personality is not about humility. Cost sums up the problem this way:

"The claim of greatness carries with it an implication of distance. If Obama is great, and the rest of us are average, how can we identify with Obama, or he with us?"