DNC Chairman Tim Kaine joined us down on Cherokee Street last night for the OFA State of the Union watch party at their state headquarters. He seemed to match Obama’s feistiness last night, which is only fitting, because a party chairman should certainly be a cheerleader for his party and its principles.

Afterwards, he gave a short speech delivered very casually, emphasizing his Missouri connections. Not surprisingly, he got a big cheer when he mentioned his Mizzou degree. He sounded like the DNC was keenly interested in Missouri this election cycle, mentioning Robin’s race multiple times during his own speech and in remarks to the media afterwards.

I’m kicking myself for not asking about specific commitments to Missouri when I had the chance, but then again, I imagine he would have demurred and pivoted to a much vaguer answer. I chose to ask him a somewhat vague question and see how he responded. You be the judge.

I’m not really surprised he chose to answer the question in terms of seats and races, rather than on issues, because that’s what chairmen focus on. And I also imagine he saw a progressive minefield ahead when I first introduced myself. I’m glad he chose to recognize the uphill struggle we’re facing as Democrats, and I can see that he expects the Democrats to lose seats in each house of Congress, but has hope of picking off an open seat here and there. And Missouri is as good a place as any, since Roy Blunt is an entrenched Washington insider (married to a lobbyist!) in a time when length of service in Washington is a liability more than an asset.