24 Jul The Short Version: Tim Kaine for VP

The point of it all is to break down the headlines, determine why an issue is important and reveal the best arguments on each side of the story. Last week, Cleo Abram took a hard look at Trump – in the mouth of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Should Justice Ginsberg have commented on the presidential election? This week, she turns her attention to Hilary and her VP pick, Tim Kaine.

“It’s been quite a week. I’m looking forward to the general election, when (hopefully!) we’ll be debating issues like minimum wage, healthcare, free college tuition, and more. If you have topic suggestions, just reply to this email—I’d love your help – by emailing here.

Note: If you have missed any of Cleo’s blogs, just go to our Home Page, type “The Short Version” into Search (magnifying glass icon) and poof, like magic, all her blogs will appear.

“I love getting feedback every week—thank you! If you want come hang out, debate a thing or two, and meet other Shorties, check out Short Events,” says Cleo.

Cleo Constantine Abram of the “Short Form,” offering densely packed spins on issues of national and global importance.

 What’s happening?

Clinton and Kaine

The day after the Republican National Convention—a deluge of political controversy that culminated in Donald Trump’s official nomination—Hillary Clinton tapped Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice president and running mate.

Why is it important?

The first vice president, John Adams, called the position “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.” Traditionally, vice presidents have two responsibilities: be ready to assume the presidency and serve as President of the Senate (… but only vote if there’s a tie.)

However, modern vice presidents have become influential players in the executive branch. The turning point was a memo written by Vice President Walter Mondale in 1976, which outlined “an appropriate and meaningful role” for the VP as a general advisor on domestic, foreign, and party affairs. And, since candidates for president and vice president began running together after the Civil War, the VP pick has been part of a larger strategy to win the election.

The role seems only to be gaining power in 2016. Donald Trump, for one, reportedly offered a VP position “in charge of domestic and foreign policy.”

Debate it!

Was Tim Kaine the right choice for Hillary Clinton’s vice president?

Continue reading here.

Why “The Short Version” on TIO:

Eight+ years ago, Telluride Inside…and Out began as a lifestyle webzine. Today, in the full knowledge that Telluride is a window on the world, we continue to bring the “zazz” (short for “pizzazz) of the region to a local, national, and global audience by covering everything from Telluride’s robust cultural economy – major events and festivals – to health and fitness and outdoor adventure. When Telluride travels, we write about places to go, people to meet too. (That’s part of the “Out” part of our handle, the other, obviously, Outdoors.)

And now, this new weekly column, “The Short Version,” which offers simple summaries of issues of national and global importance. (Though we won’t go political, or rather we won’t show bias in the upcoming election.)

“The Short Version” is written by Cleo Constantine Abram, the daughter of Telluride locals Eleni Constantine and Jonathan Abram (and therefore an honorary local and regular visitor) and a digital strategist at Precision Strategies, a political consulting firm.

Why “The Short Version”? Because, though we live in Shangri-La, our bubble is not impermeable and the rest of the world is only a click away. Because there is no inconsequential action; only consequential inaction. And because information is power in a moment so many of us are feeling powerless.

More about Cleo Constantine Abram:

Cleo grew up in Washington D.C., lives in New York City, and loves to visit her parents in Telluride. She authors “The Short Version,” a newsletter that explains each week’s most important issue and both sides of the debate around it.

Cleo is a digital strategist at Precision Strategies, a political consulting firm born of the Obama 2012 presidential campaign.

Cleo’s work focuses on ways to share, educate, and inform using online platforms. While in college at Columbia University, she guided the school’s entrance into online education through her role as the youngest elected representative to the Columbia Senate, which makes university-wide policy.

She continued her work on online education at TED-Ed, the educational branch of the nonprofit, building new programs and online tools to support high school teachers worldwide.

Continuing her work with TED, Cleo founded and led an early TEDx conference, the organization’s community-specific series.

Most importantly, Cleo loves to ski!