DNC chairman Tim Kaine rallies the party, casts Dems as underdogs

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

PHILADELPHIA – Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine this afternoon sought to rally his party in the midterm elections, sharply attacking Republicans even while casting the Democrats as the underdogs.

Kaine, the former Virginia governor, sought to rekindle the excitement Democrats felt two years ago when they came out in droves to vote for President Obama.

“If you want the President to succeed, you have to make sure that he has good partners to work with,” Kaine told a crowd of about 200 students and union workers at the University of Pennsylvania. “The other guys want to take the country back. But we need to have the President’s back.”

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell delivered a fiery introduction to Kaine, alternately referring to Republicans as "fruit loops" and "wackos," and disparagingly referencing House Minority Leader John Boehner as "the tan guy."

"It's a party that's slowly but surely being taken over by wackos," said Rendell, adding later, "they're nuts, they're flat out crazy."

With just two months before the crucial midterm elections, Democrats are desperately seeking a way to find their footing amid polls that indicate they could lose control of both chambers of Congress. Republicans, meanwhile, have been far more energized. They also have history on their side, with the party of the incumbent president typically losing seats during midterm elections.

"Tough is what Democrats do. We campaign tough, we win tough, we govern tough," Kaine said. "We have always been the underdog party and we always will be, speaking for regular everyday people throughout this great country."

UPDATE: “Once again the President’s top political chief is desperate to distract voters from the failed economic policies of the Obama administration and Washington Democrats," said RNC Spokeswoman Katie Wright in a statement. "But no amount of name-calling and fear-mongering will solve skyrocketing unemployment, erase record-breaking budget deficits, or cause voters to forget how their elected representatives rammed through Obamacare against their will. Democrat’s campaign solutions are quickly becoming as reckless and empty as the policies that got them into this mess in the first place."

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.