DNC Chief: Dems Shunning the Party are 'Nuts

In an interview with Fox News that will air Thursday evening, Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine doubled down on his election rhetoric, saying Democratic candidates should "be proud of" of the party's "accomplishments," even though many of those policies are unpopular with the public these days.

"I do think Democrats thinking that they can, you know, hold the Democratic label at arm's length, I do think that's nuts," he said. "You put the label after your name, be proud of it."

The Hill reports:

Kaine made similar comments in August, but his most recent remarks come as several endangered Democrats have gone to extreme lengths to distance themselves from the party in an effort to appeal to voters in their conservative-leaning districts.

Democratic Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.), for example, said this week that he voted for Republican nominee John McCain — and not Obama — in the 2008 presidential election.

In the final weeks of the midterm campaign season, President Obama and Democratic leaders have largely shied away from campaigning for endangered Democrats running in traditionally Republican states and districts, instead choosing to focus on motivating the party's base to drum up its enthusiasm about voting.

While he thinks Democrats who are now shunning the party are "nuts," he concedes that "people have to do what they think is right for themselves and for their constituents."

"You can go into the reddest district in America and say Democrats passed equal pay for women in this country and it's a good thing," he said. "Or say, Democrats saved an auto industry that was in danger of being carved up and sold off. That's a good thing. So you can pick the accomplishments you want to highlight."