Tim Kaine Quotes

Whatever your religious tradition is, if it's important to you and you don't feel comfortable talking about it, you end up coming across as insincere.

- Tim Kaine

As soon as you define what an assault weapon is, you know, you can't sell a weapon, and here's how we describe it, gun manufacturers just make one adjustment or two, and they say, 'See, this isn't subject to the limitation.'

- Tim Kaine

If women are not accorded equal place in the leadership of the Catholic Church and the other great world religions, they will always be treated as inferiors in earthly matters as well.

- Tim Kaine

McCain is completely against the sequester. It was one thing when we had a Democratic chair who was against it - all the Democrats were against it. But to have a Republican chair who is outspoken and strong against the sequester, who has the credentials in military issues - who is going to challenge him?

- Tim Kaine

I kind of struggled as a 10-year-old to make out what it meant that Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were killed within two months of each other. I think I was 14 when Watergate happened and a president was impeached. So between my birth and age 14, I just saw a lot of turmoil.

- Tim Kaine

Anne and I have now been married almost 32 years, and I am the luckiest husband in the world.

- Tim Kaine

I saw my mother crying for the first time, which made a huge impression on me, when I came home from kindergarten, and she was watching TV because JFK - that Irish Catholic president that we loved - had been killed.

- Tim Kaine

When you want to know something about the character of somebody in public life, look to see if they have a passion that began long before they were in office and that they have consistently held it throughout their career.

- Tim Kaine

I'm an introvert on the Myers-Briggs. I've got to have time by myself to recharge. My philosophy is sort of that humans are weak, frail, imperfect, and generally kind of bad, but every day I meet somebody who's good, and that inspires me.

- Tim Kaine

I deeply believe - and not just as a matter of politics, but even as a matter of morality - that matters about reproduction and intimacy and relationships and contraception are in the personal realm. They're moral decisions for individuals to make for themselves. And the last thing we need is government intruding into those personal decisions.

- Tim Kaine

I have a sort of Catholic-slash-Calvinist view of human nature, but every day I meet somebody who is doing cool things. So people get you out of your solitude and do things that exceed your expectations every day.

- Tim Kaine

I was a brand new senator in 2013. And the idiocy of Congress was to shut the government down for two weeks in October. And coming out of that, the pressure was put on the budget chair, Paul Ryan's shoulders and Patty Murray. Conservative Wisconsin Republican, progressive Washington Democrat, come up with a budget deal.

- Tim Kaine

The framers understood that the president, as the head of our armed forces, must defend the nation from imminent threat. But when the mission shifts from defense to offense, congressional approval is essential.

- Tim Kaine

I work on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees to keep us safe at home and strong in the world.

- Tim Kaine

No couples in Virginia can adopt other than a married couple - that's the right policy.

- Tim Kaine

I think the reason that drones have become so controversial is because they're used in Pakistan; they're used in Yemen; they've been used in all kinds of places.

- Tim Kaine

The next president of the United States will be the president that will celebrate 100 years of women having the right to vote. I mean, I think having a woman president lead that celebration would be, you know, one of these instances of history really working out right in a poetic and beautiful way.

- Tim Kaine

When Democrats kind of cavalierly attack the religious right or go after Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, our candidates have sent the signal to a lot of religious people, 'Well, I guess they are not interested in me.' And I think this includes a lot of people who would fit very naturally within the Democratic Party.

- Tim Kaine

I have a traditional Catholic personal position, but I am very strongly supportive that women should make these decisions and government shouldn't intrude. I'm a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade and women being able to make these decisions. In government, we have enough things to worry about.

- Tim Kaine

One of the things we wrestle with nationally is, 'If we want the economy to be strong, what should we do?' Why not learn some lessons from Virginia?

- Tim Kaine

While Congressional members face the political costs of debate on military action, our service members bear the human costs of those decisions. And if we choose to avoid debate, avoid accountability, avoid a hard decision, how can we demand that our military willingly sacrifice their very lives?

- Tim Kaine

My dad was a great business guy, and he always taught us that his business acumen would put his workers' kids through school, and their great artistry... would put my brothers and me through school.

- Tim Kaine

Over 17 years, I took on banks, landlords, real estate firms, local governments, anybody who treated anybody unfairly.

- Tim Kaine

I've been a city councilman and mayor. I've been a lieutenant governor and governor and now, in the Senate, serve on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee. So I'm a utility player. I just want to do everything I can to make sure A) we win and that B) the presidency of Hillary Clinton is fantastic.

- Tim Kaine

My sense is that economic anxiety means electoral volatility.

- Tim Kaine

The best way to deal with the deficit is through economic growth.

- Tim Kaine

If you ask people, 'What do you think, should we kick kids off their family insurance policy in that 21- to 26-year-old age range?' You go through those... provisions that are already affecting the everyday lives of Americans, and people don't want to get rid of them.

- Tim Kaine

I will say, nothing in my time in the Senate has more surprised me than senators and House members want to weigh in on everything under the sun, but they do not want to weigh in on a clearly defined constitutional duty to declare war. It just stuns me.

- Tim Kaine

During a time of war, we ask our troops to give their best even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. When compared against that, how much of a sacrifice is it for a president to engage in a possibly contentious debate with Congress about whether military action is a good idea?

- Tim Kaine

My faith teaches that life is sacred. That's why I personally oppose the death penalty. But I take my oath of office seriously, and I'll enforce the death penalty... because it's the law.

- Tim Kaine

Let me let you in on a secret. I do plan to be on the podium with President Clinton when she's inaugurated in January 2017 - but I'm going to be sitting with the senators.

- Tim Kaine

I do plan to be on the podium with President Clinton when she's inaugurated in January 2017 - but I'm going to be sitting with the senators.

- Tim Kaine

You see Democrats who will demonize business. I don't do that. You see Republicans who demonize labor. I don't do that.

- Tim Kaine

Donald Trump is a guy who has called for privatization of the V.A. That is something that is overwhelmingly rejected by America's veterans. They do not want to go down that path. Do they want improvement? Sure they do. But they don't want risky or radical.

- Tim Kaine

I was a hard-times governor. I had to steer my state through the deepest recession since the 1930s. But hey, tough times don't last and tough people do. And can I tell you that Virginians are tough people? We are tough people.

- Tim Kaine

You have got to connect your land use decisions with transportation decisions.

- Tim Kaine

I say we are climbing out of a ditch and we are climbing up.

- Tim Kaine

What 'listo' means in Spanish is this: it means prepared, it means battle-tested, it means rock solid, up for anything, never backing down. And, friends, Hillary Clinton, she is listo!

- Tim Kaine

If we are going to be serious about enforcing the law, we have to have a background record check system to make sure that people don't get weapons who shouldn't.

- Tim Kaine

A drone isn't any different than a bomb; it's not any different than other weapons that are used, where there is always a capacity for people to be killed who you wished were not.

- Tim Kaine

A drone isn't any different than a bomb; it's not any different than other weapons that are used, where there is always a capacity for people to be killed who you wished were not. It's just the weapons platform.

- Tim Kaine

For Donald Trump, Latinos are second-class citizens. We believe we are all Americans. We believe we are strong together. There is a big difference in this sense between the two parties and the candidates.

- Tim Kaine

When I hear Donald Trump say the American military is a disaster, I want to go through the screen and shake the guy. We ought to have a commander in chief who talks about our troops with respect and gratitude.

- Tim Kaine

I predict after this whole thing is over, what we'll remember about the failed candidacy of Donald Trump is, 'You're fired.'

- Tim Kaine

We had a motto in my school: 'Men for Others.' And it was there that my faith became something vital. My north star for orienting my life. And when I left high school, I knew that I wanted to battle for social justice.

- Tim Kaine

The American economy has always been the innovator in the world, and we're starting to see some tremendous increases in innovation, especially in the clean energy sector.

- Tim Kaine

I think I'm ready to lead. I'm ready first to be a supportive vice president so that the presidency of Hillary Clinton is a fantastic one. But if something were to put that in my path, as much as any human being would be ready, I'd be ready. And you gotta approach it with humility.

- Tim Kaine

I believe all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be guaranteed the full rights to the legal benefits and responsibilities of marriage under the Constitution.

- Tim Kaine

There is clearly a Christian New Testament tradition that warns against praying loudly in the front of the temple where everyone can see you.

- Tim Kaine

But people ought to be proud to be Democrats right now. You know, we're a happy warrior party. And this Congress has every reason to be very, very proud of the heavy lifting that they have done.

- Tim Kaine

You're not going to have a 1.000 batting average, but the way you get votes is, you just push and you push. I'm not afraid to do that.

- Tim Kaine

Authenticity is key.

- Tim Kaine

The key is grow your talent, attract talent, and then you'll attract the institutions that want to be around talent - and that, to me, is what we need to do at the national level.

- Tim Kaine

As much as the constitutional argument matters to me, what really matters to me is this sort of moral question of can we order somebody to risk their lives about a military mission if we're not willing to debate, vote, and say that the military mission matters?

- Tim Kaine

I would say, people use labels all the time, but I'm kind of a traditional Catholic: Personally, I'm opposed to abortion, and personally, I'm opposed to the death penalty.

- Tim Kaine

I am a governor who left office with a smaller general fund budget than when we started.

- Tim Kaine

I was the governor that drew a tough, tough straw. I was governor during the worst recession since the 1930s, and I had to cut $5 billion from the state budget.

- Tim Kaine

When I see this, you know, 'Crooked Hillary,' or I see the, 'Lock her up,' it's just ridiculous. It is ridiculous. But I just - you know - it is beneath the character of the kind of dialogue we should have. Because we got real serious problems to solve. And look, most of us stopped the name-calling thing about fifth grade.

- Tim Kaine

I want to make sure that Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States because we need Secretary Clinton's focus on making sure that we build an America where our values of inclusion and opportunity for everyone are the values that bring us together.

- Tim Kaine

Now Hillary Clinton and I are 'companeros de alma.' And we share this basic belief: it's simple. Do all the good you can and serve one another. Pretty simple.

- Tim Kaine

The research clearly demonstrates high-quality early childhood opportunities help children succeed.

- Tim Kaine

Gay individuals should be able to adopt.

- Tim Kaine

I have a moral position against the death penalty. But I took an oath of office to uphold it. Following an oath of office is also a moral obligation.

- Tim Kaine

It seemed to me to be entirely un-kosher, if that's a word, to try to put a debate about war right in front of the midterm to try to affect the midterm outcomes.

- Tim Kaine

I think if you run away from who you are, that you're a Democrat and you're proud to be a Democrat, it's foolish. And the reason it's foolish is you've got a lot to be proud of.

- Tim Kaine

I have taken the position, which is quite common among Catholics - I have got a personal feeling about abortion, but the right rule for government is to let women make their own decisions.

- Tim Kaine

I ask unanimous consent that I be able to deliver a floor speech on immigration reform in Spanish.

- Tim Kaine

You don't ask people to sacrifice their lives until the nation has debated and committed to the mission. It's immoral.

- Tim Kaine

I'm not going to give a courtesy gift to a person who's going to win, and I'm not going to give a sympathy gift to a person who's going to lose.

- Tim Kaine

Race to race, the Republicans are putting up candidates that are quite far out of the mainstream in terms of should we have passed the Civil Rights Act or does Social Security need to exist.

- Tim Kaine

If you want a senator who'll partner with the president to do what's best for the nation, I'm your guy.

- Tim Kaine

I can't take classified information that I get as a senator and give it to someone with no consequence.

- Tim Kaine

I would be open to a proposal that would have some minimum tax level for everyone.

- Tim Kaine

When people are left out, we're naturally going to focus on that, if it's 47 million people who don't have health insurance, if it's 23,000 people who die every year because they lack access to health care for something that's easily treatable.

- Tim Kaine

People will pay a price for putting political obstruction over progress in a time that is so critical and urgent.

- Tim Kaine

Virginians want you to work across the aisle.

- Tim Kaine

Midterm elections for first-term presidents are notoriously difficult.

- Tim Kaine

In politics, you've got to have a fallback in our line of work because your career can be over in an instant. Not that I would make much money playing a harmonica.

- Tim Kaine

I will always be a partner with the president of the United States.

- Tim Kaine

I'm not going to be anybody's punching bag.

- Tim Kaine

When I talk to people outside the beltway, I don't think people are that divided.

- Tim Kaine

I just want to serve people. I know it sounds like a simple cliche.

- Tim Kaine

Like a lot of people, I have been a leader in some things, and I've been a follower in some things. I know how to work on a team. And most of life, frankly, to get things done you have to get done, you've got to work as a team.

- Tim Kaine

If faith is your motivation, share that.

- Tim Kaine

As soon as something really bad happens, I guarantee you Congress will act. I absolutely guarantee you Congress will act. But the question is, should we wait for that?

- Tim Kaine

My faith is central to everything I do. My faith position is a Good Samaritan position of trying to watch out for the other person.

- Tim Kaine

I went to a Jesuit boys high school, Rockhurst High School.

- Tim Kaine

As governor, I cut $5 billion in spending.

- Tim Kaine

We are all neighbors. And we must love neighbors as ourselves.

- Tim Kaine

I think life is sacred, whether it's abortion or the death penalty.

- Tim Kaine

My sense is, as governor I've gotten a lot of stuff done.

- Tim Kaine

I'm an optimist.

- Tim Kaine

I am boring.

- Tim Kaine