minutes and we are getting to the part -- critical part and thank you for participating. what a great day to be in virginia. it is a great day to be in virginia. [applause] sen. kaine: there are some who have asked the question, does abraham lincoln belong in richmond, does abraham lincoln belong in virginia? what a great joy it gives me as someone elected to statewide office by the voters of the commonwealth of virginia to answer the question is i, yes, we claim abraham lincoln as one of our own. we claim abraham lincoln as a brother. we claim a virginian. [applause] sen. kaine: we claim abraham lincoln as a brother in virginia and the cause of family connections.

his mother and father's families were both from virginia. we claim him as a brother in virginia because of affection he held for the south, for southerners and virginians during his entire life -- even during the difficult war years and especially the days after the war. we must especially claim lincoln as a virginian because the project of his mature adult life was to pick up and rescue from the most virginia value that all men are created equal and work to continue the project that was authored by the other virginia, thomas jefferson 85 years before. that was the work of abraham lincoln's life. [applause] sen. kaine: to be true to virginia values. it is hard to remember this, abraham lincoln learned that those words of the declaration of independence when he was a young man, go into fourth of july ceremonies with the declaration of independence read. you know what folks? after the declaration of independence was prepared by jefferson, when the constitution was written a decade later, there was nothing in the constitution about equality of all men. that was left out in the constitution. instead, the constitution enshrined inequality by protecting slavery.

the constitution even said that african-americans in the south would be counted as 3/5 of a person. enshrining inequality, and that was the world that abraham lincoln grew up in. in the 1850's, when he was out of politics, probably forever, according to him and others, but still following the events of the day, there were debates on the floor of the senate in which a senator from indiana, a northern state, said this about jefferson's word, senator john pettit of indiana in 1854 said, "jefferson's promise of equality was a self-evident lie." jefferson said behold these

truth is self-evident that all men are created equal, but even northerner senators said those virginia values were lies, and at that point in lincoln's life, he let go of every other political issue he had debated and talked about for the previous 20 years and up for the rest of his life, he argued one proposition, if slavery was true, the declaration of independence was a lie. if the declaration of independence was true, slavery was a lie. no equivocation, you had to make a choice. he argued that again and again to be elected as president in the emancipation proclamation, and the gettysburg address where he quoted jefferson and he said that fourscore and seven years ago, the nation was founded upon the shores conceived in liberty, dedicated to the -- the single proposition that all men are created equal. abraham lincoln restored to the central place in american life the notion that we, all of us,

are created equal, that in a short time after his death, congress finally change the constitution to outlaw slavery and also include the 14th amendment, protecting the equality of every person. and so, it was abraham lincoln that belongs in virginia, as long as anyone picks up that document thomas jefferson wrote about and works in the vineyard for equality, we in virginia are glad to claim him as our own, so yes, abraham lincoln is one of us, is one of us. [applause] announcer: during his time in congress, mike pence spoke regularly at the annual march for life rally in washington dc. an event antiabortion activist used to mark the anniversary of the supreme court's roe versus wade decision. here is a speech from the 30th

annual rally in january 2003. [applause] gov. pence: thank you so much. it is a beautiful day in america to see so many shining faces. i am congressman mike pence, i am from indiana and i am pro-life. [applause] i rise as my colleagues have done it as we heard from the president of missouri to say yes to life. i rise to say it is time for the president of the united states of america to send in the principal pro-life judges and we will move them as americans under the court and in roe versus wade forever. it is time for us under the leadership to end partial-birth abortion in this civilized country that has no place. it is time for all of the reforms, adoption reforms and the president's vision for a

faith-based initiative and we will see resources, pregnancy centers and other industries there for women with more than a hello choice with real answers meeting their real needs, but i am mostly here today as a father and as an american to say thank you to you from my heart. the cousin of you and the millions of americans you represent, abortion is in steep decline in america today. abortion is less available, less legal, and most importantly, less morally acceptable than any other time since 1973. you alone have exposed the empty promises of the left who offer a choice but deliver only heart ache and disappointment at the national conference. the media will depict some of us as strange for standing in the cold. usa today said we should get on with it, that the extremist

speeches heard today are a little bit crazy, and to be honest with you, i think of a song by billy joel that says "you may be right. i may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic america is looking for." [applause] gov. pence: it just may be time as it has ever been the case on the steps of the lincoln memorial in 1963 on this very soil in 1776 where every "you may be right. i may be crazy, but it just may time throughout american history where we achieved moral, social change, it has been crazy americans who believe in inalienable rights like the right to life. i am mike pence, i am pro-life. thank you and god bless you.

announcer: you are watching a special program on the lives and careers of mike pence and sees -- tim kaine. up next, congressman pinch speaking before the christian coalition in washington dc, taking place just before the 2004 presidential election, and shortly after, he was selected to lead the republican study committee. gov. pence: it is imperative that we gather scarcely five weeks from an extraordinarily important moment in the life of our nation, and encourage one another and sharpen one another about the issues that we face in this election year. as i heard that introduction, i was very humbled by it. i was humbled to be elected this week by my colleagues to lead the conservative caucus in the house next year. it reminded me though sometimes some people introduce you, they get a little carried away. i was at a dinner in indiana

where i served this last month, my wife karen was with me, and the woman who introduced me was even more generous than you heard today. she went on and on about the work i have done on behalf of the conservative agenda, my stance as a regular on crossfire debating james carver and she said, there are so few great men in american politics today and i give you congressman mike pence. i got up and i spoke, and afterwards, i asked my wife what she thought of the speech and she said, it was fine. i said, you know what? i was thinking about the woman that introduced me and what she said, and my wife said, uh huh. i said, well, if you take yourself totally out of it, there are very few great men in american politics today, and my wife said, i know there is one fewer than you think there is.

[laughter] gov. pence: you know where i live. i prefer the introduction that was described to me that i am a christian, conservative, republican in that order. i appreciate the christian coalition. [applause] gov. pence: it was a number of months ago that i found myself on a bus in a sloping valley between two gentle hills that rose 300 feet. it was a valley north of jerusalem and there was a tiny creek that runs through it. our tour guide who traveled with myself that hosted us, said we

are passing to the valley of elam. i thought hard about where i had heard that before, and he said that little brook or a derivative thereof is where a young man walked in millennia ago and picked up some smooth stones and slated goliath. the words that spoke to the history of that young man who would be king, words like it i reflect on today. he stood listening to a giant saying that the army of which he was a part was finished, and he

saw no reply, he asked the question, is there not a cause? the truth is, that question that echoes through history should echo in our hearts today, the leadership gathered here today answered the question, and we know the cause. to do justice, love kindness, to walk calmly with our god and in this organization to support men and women who are prepared to do likewise in the public square. [applause] gov. pence: the stakes in this election year as senator mcconnell said could not possibly be higher, the contrast more stark. i want to speak to you about the stakes in the contrast before i leave and let you hear from my others in a moment. this week in washington dc, it was my great privilege to welcome david and kelly kime from indiana. there is probably more people in this room than live in bern, indiana, but it is a great place. you are from there, which is

really not surprising. if you know what a great town it is. the family was at a press conference here in washington with their beautiful twin sons and daughters, caroline and spencer. apart from being the most beautiful children on the earth, otherwise, unremarkable infants in a room of crying infants. the distinction was, two short years ago, those infants were snowflakes. they were frozen embryos. they were of the cash we are told by medical emphasis today and by political leaders are discardable. i looked in caroline's eyes and i stroked spencer's hair and there's nothing discardable about them. [applause] gov. pence: ronald

reagan said it best in his famous small booklet. 1984, in "abortion and a conscious of a nation" and he says, and i believe he would speak of the stem cell research today in the same way, irrespective of what his namesake says. you cannot diminish the value of any kind of human life without diminishing the value of all human life. the sanctity of human life and this debate over stem cell research is fundamentally at the center of this political debate, make no mistake about it. next week on capitol hill, i will be privileged to be part of a team that brings to the floor another bill that i think is at the very center of our national life. at the very heartbeat of your

work christian coalition. we will bring the marriage protection act to the floor of the house of representatives and we will pass it in this congress. [applause] gov. pence: i must tell you, there are those that would trivialize this debate, and to be perfectly candid, i believe this issue is of such enormous social and cultural consequence that it is regrettable that it takes place in the midst of a national election year. men and women, history has selected this time, not the conservatives, and let me make this point clear -- while i may disagree with the lifestyle

choices of americans, most offended by the federal marriage amendment, and while i may pray for them, people who would know me, know me to be a live and let live person. i try to love my neighbor, whether i agree with them or not. but i do know, even though i am from south of highway 40 in indiana, the difference between attacking and defending, and men and women, marriage and those of us that stand for traditional marriage are attacking no one. we are defending an institution upon which the vitality of our families and society depend. there is a difference between attacking and defending. [applause] gov. pence: and the marriage matters. i know i am preaching to the choir here, men and women, but i think it matters. as we are talking to neighbors and friends and millions of people looking in today, marriage matters for four basic reasons.

everyone, it was not our idea. marriage was ordained by god. it was instituted into law. it is the glue of the american family and it is the safest harbor to raise children. marriage matters for these reasons, and we must take the case to the american people over and above politics that whatever the outcome in the election cycle, we must stand with those that stand with marriage. [applause] gov. pence: i emphasize one point in particular, and that is, another hoosier from the same area i serve, a man who i have the privilege of calling a friend. vice president dan quayle who stood for family and stood for marriage. [applause] gov. pence: as the

country song says, he was pro-family before pro-family was cool. we all remember the race in 1992 when dan quayle had the audacity to stand in the midst of a national debate and say that two parent families mattered for children. i will never forget the headline of the atlantic monthly magazine, published a month after the bush-quayle team lost that simply red, dan quayle was right and he still is. two parent-traditional marriage is the safest harbor for raising children. he said it in 1992 and it has been proven again and again and again by sociologist and secular sources in the intervening

15 years or more. one such example is provided by the maggie gallagher and joshua baker in a recent survey produced by the institute of marriage and public policy. listen to this quote from 12 leading family scholars that summarize all of the recent research literature on marriage. they concluded "marriage is more than a private emotional relationship. it is also a social good. not every person can or should marry. not every child raised outside of marriage is damaged, but communities with good marriages

have better outcomes, statistically for children, women, men then do communities suffering from high rates of divorce, unmarried childbearing and high conflict or violent marriages." men and women, we stand with marriage because of all issues of our time, marriage matters to the vitality of this, the freest and strongest and most powerful nation on the earth. [applause] gov. pence: those are the stakes and now the choice. the choice on these issues nearest to the heart of the american family could not be clearer in this election. the choice between president george w. bush, who stood against a withering assault of criticism was willing to step into the roosevelt room and hold his head high and say he would support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the unity between a man and a woman was an act of moral courage as compared to the democratic nominee who says he

supports marriage, but offers a litany of excuses that makes his position and the position of the democratic party meaningless. there is one candidate in this race who is prepared to lead with moral courage, to defend marriage and that is george w. bush. [applause] gov. pence: let me say it plainly. there is only one pro-life party in the united states of america. this pro-life president not only talked the talk but walked the walk when he signed a ban of partial-birth abortion, ending a moral nightmare in the united states of america with the support of the republican congress. partial-birth abortion is over. [applause] gov. pence: the choice could not be clearer. so now it is your turn. we get called leaders out here, and as a friend of mine involved in the hungarian revolution against the russians in the middle of the last century said, mike, do you know what the definition of a leader is?

he is a coward who gets pushed to the front of the parade. [laughter] gov. pence: some of us have been pushed to the front of the parade. you are the leaders. you are the people that will go out from today, either encouraged and invigorated or not, and i want to challenge you with three thoughts, and i will close. first, i challenge you to pray. i am not talking about the way they do in the end zone of an nfl football game. far be it for me that i should sin against the lord by failing to pray for you. the bible says it is in addition to say i'm a man of prayer and that the prayer of a righteous man is worth a lot. never forget the day i saw the president after september 11 and i spent the day on the grounds of the capital.

i saw the president not long after and i walked up to him as a brother of christ and i took him by the hand and said, i want you to know i am praying for you. he said, thanks. i am honored. i took his hand a little tighter because i thought he thought i was just saying it and i said, i want you to know i am praying for you, every day, on my knees by name. and he put his hand on my shoulder and he looked at me and said, keep it up, mike. it matters. men and women, do not leave here today without understanding that consecration proceeds conquest. to get on our knees, to pray through the election, to pray for the challenges. god will intervene to make clear to this good nation the clear choice we face on the moral issues of our time.

announcer: on april 15, 2007, virginia tech became the site of the deadly shooting in u.s. history. a lone gunman killed 32 students, faculty, staff and injured dozens more. wee was a virginia tech student who later took his life. tim kaine and his wife flew back from asia to attend a memorial convocation one day after the shooting. sen. kaine: what an amazing community this is. mr. president and mrs. bush and to all who are part of this virginia tech community in this room on this campus worldwide, today it is a very bitter and sad day, and yet my wife and i are very privileged to be here with you and there is nowhere else in the world we would rather be than with you at this moment.

as charlie mentioned, ann and i had left on sunday morning from richmond to go on a two-week trade mission to asia, one of the events is actually an event in india to spotlight a wonderful program at virginia tech. we had been in tokyo in a hotel for about five hours when we were awakened with a call about 1:00 in the morning to report the horrible tragedy on this campus, and we were stunned, and our first thought was, we need to get home. we need to be in blacksburg with this community that we care so much about. we had the experience of up in the middle of the night and not be able to get home for 10 hours. and so, we did what people all across the world had been doing in the last couple of days, we sat there in our hotel room in that and then in an airport waiting with the television on,

watching to get news about what was happening on this campus and how the campus was handling it. if was different being away from home, halfway across the world and seeing what was happening on this campus and what you, you students were showing to the world. even in the midst of the darkest day in the history of this campus, what you showed to the world yesterday, you students was an amazing thing. again and again and again, in all of these various news outlets, students were called forward to offer their thoughts and asked what they thought about the campus and how they were dealing with this tragedy, and the grief was real and very raw. the questions were deep and troubling, but again and again when students came back wearing the virginia tech sweatshirts,

wearing the virginia tech cap, was the committee spirits and the sense of unity here on this campus and how it was about who was to blame or what could have been the indifferent, it was about how we take care of each other in this wonderful, wonderful community. how proud we were even in the midst of a sad day to see how well you represented yourself and this university to a worldwide community. there are deep emotions that are called forth by a tragedy as significant as this, grieving, sadness by the boatload. and then i have unashamedly shed tears about this, and i know virtually all of you have as well. that is the thing you should be doing. you should be grieving. there are resources here on this campus and others on this campus to help you as you find need for consolation. that is so important. a second reaction that is a natural reaction is anger, anger at the gunman, the circumstances, what could have

been different? that is natural as well. one of the most powerful stories in the human history of stories is the great story central to judaism, islam, christianity, the old testament afflicted with all kinds of tragedies and his family and he was angry. he was angry at his circumstances. he was angry at his creator. it is ok to argue. it is ok to be angry. those emotions are natural as well. finally, the emotions of the family members most affected, beyond grief, losing a son, losing a dot or a brother, a sister, a close friend, and they can go beyond grief to isolation and feeling despair. those haunting words that were uttered on a hill on calvary, my god, my god, why has thou for -- forsaken me?

despair is a natural emotion. they are all appropriate. let me ask one thing of you, this community, as you wrestle with your sadness, as you wrestle with your own feelings of anger and confusion, as you wrestle with the despair, even you family members who have lost people close to you, do not, do not lose hold of the spirit of community that makes virginia tech such a special place. do not lose hold of that. you needed as a university because you have always had it. you need to maintain it. we do not need that spirit of community to be a victim of yesterday. no, you need that.

usa community, unified together, there is so much you can do for these family members. to help them, to help them deal with their grief. if you are unified, there is an accountable amount you can do to help the family members and friends do what the loss. we need in virginia that spirit of community you have here. if we are bold enough to call ourselves not a state but a commonwealth, a state is a dotted line, a state is a political subdivision, commonwealth has a meaning. the meaning is, what we have, the god-given and man-made resources that we have that we hold in common for a community, and u.s. virginia tech has made that community and demonstrated the community for us in a way -- that the entire, entire virginia and finally i would say, from having that vantage point, of hearing about this on the other side of the world, it is not just you that need to maintain the spirit, but the world needs you to. the world was watching you yesterday and in the darkest moment, in the history of this university, the world saw you and saw you respond in a way that builds community. i was reminded in the airport as

we got ready to board to come back, i have seen this story before. i have turned on the television and seen the bad news of a shooting or a weather emergency, or a famine. i have seen these stories and there will be more stories, but there was something in the story yesterday that was different and it was you. your spirit, even in a dark day there was optimism, community, hope and wanting to be together. you taught something good yesterday, even in the darkest and the world needs that example. so i pledge to do all i can for members of the community and my team as well to be with you in the coming days, to be alongside of you during a difficult time as we sort through and try to work with families and friends. you have a remarkable community here. look around and see this and see the thousands of students. this is a remarkable place. do not let hold of that sense of community which is so powerful

in this room. announcer: more now from tim kaine as we look at events from the past, featuring the 2016 vice presidential candidates on c-span. in early 2007, then governor kane became one of the first politicians to endorse barack obama for president. here he is introducing the illinois senator at a 2008 rally in alexandria, virginia just before the state primary. mr. obama went on to win the race with 64% of the vote. sen. kaine: this is unbelievable. are you ready to win in two days? [applause] sen. kaine: this story is as inspiring as "remember the titans." [applause] i am so glad to be, i am so glad to be with so many friends. i think christina for the great enthusiasm.

it is enthusiasm we all share. we were just in the overflow room and the overflow of the overflow room. we are gathered here because we are part of a national movement to change this country and put in a president we can be proud of. [applause] sen. kaine: yes, we can. yes we can. >> yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. sen. kaine: as christina mentioned, i am one of the national co-chairs of the campaign, endorsing obama one year ago yesterday. [applause] sen. kaine: i could see a couple of things in him, having gotten to know him and

when i campaigned for governor, and excellence of character, judgment, vision. i think americans are going to want excellence in 2008 after two administrations in a row of mediocrity. we want excellence. [applause] sen. kaine: i could see that the senator was a unifier at a time when we are so divided, and we need a unified nation and the senator is a person of strong values and beliefs who nevertheless is always reaching out to bring others to the table and include others, and we need a unifier and that is who senator barack obama is and that is what our nation needs. [applause] sen. kaine: when christina was speaking, it made me think back. i spent a year, 25 years ago in honduras working with missionaries. we used to have a phrase, if you know spanish, it means ready, but it also means more than

that, a conscience and intellect that is formed and a courage that is ready to put you out there doing what you need to do. senator obama is ready. [applause] sen. kaine: another phrase we used to use was -- walking with the people. barack obama is walking with the people. [applause] [speaking in spanish]

[applause] [speaking in spanish] sen. kaine: translation to all of that, he is a great guy. he is a great guy. [applause] sen. kaine: and so, and so i endorsed him for those reasons, but i also endorsed him for one other reason and that is why we are here. we are not doing this for ourselves, we are doing it to win. we need somebody who can win. barack obama can win. barack obama can win. we are barely one month into a primary season, and barack obama has won states all over this country. [applause] sen. kaine: he has won red states, blue states, northern states, southern

states, eastern states, western states, midwestern states. [applause] sen. kaine: each one that were urban, suburban, and only democrats could participate in, that independents could participate in all over this nation from alabama, alaska, everywhere in between. we have a candidate who can win. [applause] sen. kaine: and you saw last night, are we in a good mood today after yesterday? [applause] sen. kaine: a blue state washington, a red state, nebraska, a purple state, overwhelmingly for barack obama. [applause] sen. kaine: and on tuesday, we can be part of a big momentum story to propel him forward to next week with

wisconsin and hawaii, propel him forward to march 4 with ohio, texas, ohio and vermont, if we get on board, if we deliver a big win tuesday, there will be unstoppable momentum to this momentous campaign. would you do it? [applause] >> yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. yes we can. announcer: c-span's special look back at the vice presidential candidates continues with mike pence speaking shortly after the 2008 presidential election. in addition to losing the presidency that year, republicans also lost seats in both houses of congress.

then, congressman pence joined a panel to discuss the future of the republican party and the proper role of the minority in congress. it was hosted by the republican governors association. >> mike, if you could tell us how you see the role of the minority in congress and address the new president and when he takes office, president-elect obama and the majorities in the house and senate. gov. pence: gladly. thank you to the rca for the humbly invitation. i kind of looked at the panel and i was kind of thinking, it is kind of like introducing obi-wan kenobi, han solo, luke skywalker and then r2-d2 will also be on the panel. [laughter] gov. pence: until i was talking about me. [laughter] gov. pence: there are

two governors up here that i must respect. this includes a person who i think was the finest, most courageous, dignified candidate for vice president in my lifetime. [applause] gov. pence: you know, i would say, you know, we have to state the obvious, and i am very moved by governor perry's comments and governor palin's comments that there is a difference between the republican party at the state level and new leadership represented around this table and the federal level. the lessons that were forgotten at the federal level are put into practice in increasing measure in places like mississippi, places like indiana, places like texas, and so, i take to heart the difference there. when i speak about where i think

the republican party is, i think in that sense, the republican party at the federal level is in the wilderness. but the author mark halperin wrote many years ago, there is a way out of the wilderness. the way out of the wilderness is the truth. recognizing it, stating it, defending it and living by it. and i believe that the truth is at the federal level, and 2006 and 2008, we did not lose our governing majority, we lost our way. the american people did not walk away from the contract with america. they decided we did. somewhere we, in my judgment, in my eight years in congress, we lost our willingness to fight for those principles of fiscal discipline, limited government and reform, and to find our way back we need to recognize that, be open with the american people about it and be humble about it.

i think we need to return our party, as governor palin and governor perry just said and others have said in remarks before, i think we need to return our party to the principle i believe in my heart is still the governing majority of the united states of america, on election day we are told in exit polls 22% of americans identify themselves as liberals. i did not do great in math in the fourth grade, but i do not think that is a majority. the truth is, the governing majority of america is still centered around people that are looking for leadership and will defend our nation, defend our treasury and defend our values with everything you have got. if the republican party, at the national level will do with

some of our governors around the country have done, i believe we will see, not only our political fortunes spring back, but we will see the research and of those ideals practiced at the national level. one other point, i call myself a jack kemp republican. i really believe that the great tradition of the republican party is a quality of opportunity. you are going to celebrate a special moment in january, regardless of our politics. a few short weeks before the

bicentennial of abraham lincoln's birth we will see the first african-american president. that is special. i think it should be special for republicans. he was the founder of our party that signed the emancipation proclamation. it was teddy roosevelt that invited an african-american leader into the white house. and of course jack kemp did so much to build the relationship of our party to the minority committee. i think we need to take our message of a strong defense of opportunity for all, traditional moral values, the sanctity of life and marriage to every community in america and not be shy about that. lastly, winston churchill described the duty before us. he quoted the late lord cell is very limited in the 19 century in the aftermath, it is the duty of every englishman and english party to accept political defeat cordially and to do their best endeavors to secure the success or neutralize the evil of the

principles of which they have been forced to succumb. he added, it is good we have no wish to be faithful to such wholesome traditions. republicans need to return to the principles of a strong defense, limited government, the sanctity of life, sanctity of marriage and then we need to be willing after inappropriate period of recognizing a transition in history, recognizing the fight at every level for what we believe in. thank you. >> thank you. of the ed on the role president. a reminder that c-span will have live coverage of the vice candidates' debate on tuesday, october 4, starting 7:30 p.m. eastern. >> the presidency is the most throughthreat that runs the tapestry of american government. sets the r for ill it tonight for the other branches of it spurs the expectations the people. its powers are vast and consequential. its requirements from the outset and by definition, impossible

fulfill without humility and attention to its for the in the constitution of the united states. isn't it amazing that those who eek i will seldom pause to seeking.what they are unconstrained, there is a mad rush towards something that once seized, the new president can wheeled it as an to rument with which transform the nation and the eople according to its highest aspirations but other than in a crisis of a house divided the presidency is neither fit nor to be such an instrument. the country e that sustains a wound. and cries out justly and indignantly, and what the

country says, theme of this it says impaled by its long history, what it may november 2, is that we as a people are not to be not to be commanded. [applause] >> it says that the president should never forget this, that he has not risen above us, but is merely one of us. chosen by ballot, dismissed after his term, tasked to bear the weight of decision, to carry out faithfully the design laid down in the constitution and impassioned by the declaration of independence. the presidency must adhere to that in the constitution. while the powers of the office

have enlarged along with those of the legislature and judiciary, the framework was intended to restrict abuses, to the classical empires and the regal states of the 18th century. without proper adherence to the role contemplated in the constitution for the presidency, checks and balances in the constitutional plan become weekend. onnous in een most recent use. -- most obvious in recent years. under either party it seems, presidents have often forgotten that they are intended to restrain the congress at times, and that the congress is independent of their desires, and thus fused in some kind of unholy unity, the political class has raged forward in an expansion of powers and prerogatives, mistakenly assuming that to exercise power is by default to do good. even the simplest among us know that this is not so.

power is an instrument of fatal consequence. it is confined no more readily than quicksilver and escapes good intentions as easily as air flows through mash. therefore those who are trusted with it must educate themselves in self-restraint. a republic, if you can keep it, is about limitation, and for good reason. because we are mortal, and our actions are imperfect. the tragedy of presidential decision is that with even the best of choice, some, perhaps many, will be left behind, and some, perhaps many, may die. because of this, a true statesman lives in what churchill called a continuous stress of soul.

he may give to paul but only because he robs peter, and that is why you must always be wary of a president who seems to float upon his own greatness. for all treatments is tempered by mortality, and every soul is evil. it is a tragedy indeed that the new generation is seeking more power. in the judiciary, this has been seldom been better expressed than by judge thurgood marshall, do what you think is right and let the law catch up. in the congress, it presents itself in massive legislation, in codes thousands of pages long and so complicated that no human being could read through them in a lifetime, much less understand them, much less apply them justly to a people who are no

longer being asked, but feel like they are being told. our nation finds itself too often of late in the position of a dog whose duty it is not to ask why, because the why is too elevated for his nature, just simply obey. but america is not a dog and does not require a, because i said so jurisprudence, to which it is then commanded to catch up, or legislators who need laws -- knit law s of such complexity that they are heavier than chains, or a president who acts like, speaks like, and is received as a king. [applause] >> the presidency has run off the rails. it begs a new clarity, a new discipline, a new president. [applause] >> the president is not our teacher, our tutor, our guide, or our ruler. he does not command us, we command him.

we serve neither him nor his vision. it is not his job or his prerogative to redefine custom, law, and beliefs to appropriate industries, to seize the country as it were by the shoulders or by the throat as if to impose by the force of theatrical charisma his justice on 300 million people. it is neither his job nor his prerogative to shift power of decision away from the people to him and the acolytes of his choosing. is my characterization of unprecedented presumption incorrect? i defer to the judgment of the people, which they will make with their own eyes and ears. listen to the exact words of president obama's transition team who said at the point of his election "it is important that president-elect obama is prepared to really take power

and begin to rule day one." or more recently, "president obama understands the importance of leveling the playing field." take power, rule, leveling. though it is now, it should never again be the model of the presidency or the character of the american president. [applause] >> no one can say this too strongly, no one can say it enough until it is remedied, we are not subjects, we are citizens. [applause] >> we fought a war so that we don't have to treat kings like

kings, and if i may remind you, we won that one. [laughter] [applause] >> the powers of the presidency are extraordinary, and great presidents treat them sparingly. no finer, more moving, or profound understanding of the nature of the presidency than the command of humility placed on it has been expressed in my judgment than by president coolidge. he like lincoln lost a child while he was president, a son of 16. the day i became president, coolidge wrote, he had just started to work in a tobacco field when one of his fellow labors said to him, you know, if my father was president, i would not be working in a tobacco field. to which young calvin apparently

replied, if my father were your father, you would. [laughter] >> his affection for the boy was obvious, and his admiration. while in the white house, president coolidge's son contracted blood poisoning. coolidge wrote words that resonate with any parent in the room. he wrote "what might have happened to him under other circumstances, we don't know, if i had not been president. continued, when he went, the power and the glory of the presidency went with him." a sensibility like this and not power is the source of

presidential dignity, and it must be restored. it depends entirely upon character, self-discipline, and an understanding of the fundamental principles that underlie the republic, but life itself. it communicates the president feels the gravity of his office and is willing to sacrifice himself. that his eye is on the storm of history through which it is his responsibility to navigate with the specific powers accorded to him and the limitations placed upon them, not merely by man, but by god. in the capitol rotunda, there are heroic paintings, the signing of the declaration, the victory at saratoga, the victory at yorktown, and something seldom seen in history, a painting that depicts a general,

the leader of an armed rebellion, resigning his commission and surrendering his army to a new democracy. upon hearing from benjamin west that george washington having won the war and been urged by some to use the army to make himself king would instead return to his farm, george the third said, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world. he did, and he was. [applause] >> to aspire to such virtue and self-restraint would be difficult, but in another sense, it should be easy. difficult, because it would be demanding, and easy because it is just the right thing to do

and the rewards are immediate and self-evident. a president who slights the constitution is like a rider who hates his horse, he will be thrown. [laughter] [applause] >> and the nation along with him. the president solemnly swears to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution. he does not solemnly swear to overlook, reinterpret it. other than in a crisis of morality, decency, if he should want to hurry along the constitution, he should do so by mendment rather than adjustment, for if he joins the powers of his office with his own willful interpretation, we step away from a government of laws towards a government of men. the president should regard the constitution and the declaration

an obsessed lover. they should be on his mind all the time. a prism through which the light of all questions of government pass. though we have sometimes gradually, sometimes radically, moved away from this, we can move back to it, and who better than the president to restore this wholesome devotion? now, where as at home, the president must be cautious, dutiful, and deferential, abroad his character must change. were he to ask for a primer on how to ask in relation to other states, which no holder of the office has needed up to this point, and were that primer to be written by the american people either in 1776 or in 2010, you can be confident that it would contain at least the following instructions. first, you do not bow to kings. [applause]

>> outside our borders, the president of united states bows to no man. >> you do not argue the case against the united states, but rather the case for it. [applause] >> you do not apologize to the enemies of the united states of america. [applause] >> now, and should you be confused, let me help. a country, people, or region hat harbors, shelters, supports, encourages, or cheers attacks upon our country are enemies of the united states of america, and you do not apologize to them. [applause]

>> closely related to this, and perhaps the least ambiguous, of the president's responsibilities as commander-in-chief, in this regard, there is a simple role, unknown to some presidents regardless of party, if, and it is the biggest if any president can face, for it will follow not just him, but hundreds of thousands or millions of others, not just for the rest of their lives, but and life itself. if, and it is and if that requires long and deep thought, hard labor and determining the truth of things, a lifetime of education, the knowledge of a general, the wisdom of a statesman, and the heart of an infantryman, if after careful deliberation, intense stress of soul and the deepest prayer, if then you go to war, then by having gone to war, you go to ar to win.

[applause] >> you do not cast away american lives upon a theory, a gambit, or a notion, and if the politics of your own election or own party in true to upon your decision for even an instant, there are no words for his. more commonplace, but hardly less important, are other expectations of the president in this regard. he must not stand on the equipment and provisioning of ur armed forces.

if he makes an error, it must be on the side of surplus. he must be the guardian of his troops, taking every step to avoid the loss of even a single american life. the american soldier is as precious as the closes of your kin, because he is your kin. the president must say to the congress and the people, i am the commander in chief. it is my sacred duty to defend the united states of america and give our soldiers what they need to complete their mission and come home safe. [applause] >> in fulfilling this duty, if the president waivers, he was he will have betrayed his office, but this is not policy, it is probity, and it is not an expedient artifact of the imagination, it is written on

the bloodsoaked ground of sarasota, yorktown, iraq, afghanistan, and a thousand other places in our history in lessons repeated over and over again. >> you are watching a special program on the careers of the vice presidential candidates as seen through the c-span video archive. tim kaine served as chairman of the democratic national committee from 2009-2011. our next segment shows german kaine reflecting on the 2010 midterm elections in which democrats lost their majority in the house. >> this is the first meeting we have had since the midterms, and i want to start there, because i think we have acknowledge it was a very tough night. it did not go the way we anted. the way elections usually push both houses the other way, that did not happen, thank goodness,

and we won some close statewide races that came our way, but we lost seats, and it was more than seats. i thought about what congressman cleaver said the other day in the executive committee if you were there, we are not about numbers. we are about people. you can talk about numbers, but i think about people, really good public servants that i now and that i imagine you think about a lot of great public servants who you knew who have not returned to legislative bodies. most of them, most of them did not return not because they were not doing the right thing. they did the right thing, and when people do the right thing and a political climate where it is tough to do the right thing, make tough decisions, make unpopular choices they goes they need to move the nation forward, obviously we want to see those people rewarded. we don't want to see people who

do the right thing not get rewarded, but the mystery and complexity of life, and we see this in politics and elsewhere that it sometimes you do the right thing, there can be a backlash. he empire strikes back, as they say, and we lost a number of good people who did the right thing. i can't help but thinking that even people who are back, like a speaker who did a magnificent job in two years, speaker nancy pelosi -- >> um, who was still there, still fighting for us as our democratic leader in the house, but not in the same position, so there are lessons learned. there were some challenges in the midterms, and also some bright spots. the challenges were independent voters who supported the president in 2008, did not support democratic candidates nationally. there were changes, but independent voters moved pretty significantly and two years. that is something we have to work on.

our young voters who don't have a great history of midterm turnout, but who had an amazing surge in 2008. we saw young voters do better in 2010, but we hoped it would be better still, and we did not get to where we wanted to with young voters. and with women voters, the democratic party has had a pretty spectacular tradition. we are having discussions at the dnc with the president and our congressional leadership for the next two years. there were a couple of bright spots, and you have to mention them because there are some thanks involved. turnout of some of the democratic core constituencies was really good. there were a couple of bright spots. and i think you've got to

mention them because i think there are some things involved. turnout of some of the democratic core constituencies was actually really, really good. african-american voters nationally turned out very well because they understood what was at stake in terms of partners who would work with or partners who would fight the president. just a piece of data i found kind of remarkable -- and i'm just going to use this as an example, but there are others -- wisconsin voting. we had a horrible election night in wisconsin. we lost to the governor's race, we lost to the spectacular senator, senator feingold, members of congress. in 2010, it was a tough, tough night. 2000 -- 2006 was a great night. the most democratic jurisdiction of wisconsin, the city of milwaukee, the turnout in the city of milwaukee was 15% higher than it was in 2006. democrats voted very well in that city and cities all across

the country. we have to acknowledge that. the latino vote was strong and was a critical margin in key races in nevada and colorado and california and api voting in washington, oregon very strong. every latebreaking race, any race that was not decided election night -- i know you've followed this. sure did. was looking for salvefor the wounds on election night areas the washington governor's race, the oregon governor's race, the minnesota governor's race -- all of the late breaker switched our way, which told me in the close races, it is the politics that matter and the risk good field activity because of state parties, organizing for america volunteers, and a strong upturn. ut you can't sugarcoat it. it was a tough night. after that night, i remembered a wonderful line will always remember after anything tough because it tells you, ok, it's tough.

progress is not a complete straight line. william faulkner. "they may have killed us, but they ain't whooped us." if you ever needed proof, bill daley told us, all of the pendants -- nothing was going to get done, the democrats back on their heels. and we end up with a president and a congress at the end of the lame-duck session that got more good work done -- the 9/11 responders bill -- what a spectacular, spectacular thing the other guys tried to block, but we made it happen. the start treaty, the compromise that would extend unemployment benefits and adjust payroll taxes for folks. there was a pill in there that a lot of folks did not want to swallow with response to the tax cuts on the wealthiest. but we were going to talk about that in the heart of a presidential election when everyone is paying attention and we have an opportunity to have it affect the relationship one way or another.

and you played a big role. at and one i did not mention, the repeal of don't ask don't tell. that 1 -- that when -- went through so may twist and turns. i know folks were frustrated. it was up, it was down. it was part of the defense authorization. the republicans locked it. even in the middle of december it looked tough. that you always been in wonderful ways. we put out the talk and you helped us with petitions. basically within 72 hours. and we have to say great activism by so many wonderful activist and the american public saying we want you to do this. and the american military saying we want you to do his.

you wait in in ways that made don't act -- ask don't tell happen. we have seen the president continues cents. a presentation to the grieving nation after the horrific shooting in tucson. things can look dark one day and how quickly they can turn. we are going to go through a lot of cycles and a lot of ups and downs. the challenges of november have not defeated us. we are battling with a great president to do good work. i will tell you. if there is one thing the election has done, it has enabled us to paint in pretty stark contrast to the choice between the country. you heard secretary's police do t. i will not be able to top her. the president said, we are going to win.

we are optimists. the other guys will be the gym and glamorous. they have been the gym and glamorous. we are going to win. -- the other guys will be the doom and gloomers. as the president said, we are going to focus on the economy. we are going to make it stronger by building, buy out innovating, by out educating the rest of the world. on the economy, on the economy -- i get into these discussions in richmond, where i live. i'm sure you do, too well. i have a lot of friends that are democrats and republicans and independents. they will say, what has the president done for the economy? three things. at the end of the bush dministration, gdp was

shrinking by 6% in year. that is what this president inherited. that is unparalleled since the great depression in american history that we would shrink by that degree. now the gross domestic product is growing again. it has for the last year. economists are revising upward. we have gone from a shrinking economy. to a growing economy. in jobs. in jobs -- and we are not where we want to be yet -- in any area -- we are not where we want to be yet. but the president came in at a time when jobs had fallen off a cliff. we lost 750,000 jobs, more than that in january 2009 when he was inaugurated. we have seen -- we have grown the private sector of the economy. we were losing jobs under the other guys. we are gaining jobs. and data .3 for your argument with anybody around the kitchen table or in the family he want to know what democrats have done for the economy -- if you put a dollar in the stock market the day that george bush

was inaugurated in 20 oh one, what was it worth when he left office? $.78. eight years, declined by 22%. if you put a dollar in the stock market and the tao the year -- and the dow jones the year that president obama was inaugurated, it is up. on the other side, what we have -- we are climbing out of the ditch they made. we are battling for green energy and inclusion. they said if they got power, they would focus on jobs. that is what they said they would focus on. let me tell you what they have than focusing on. if you look at republican overnors all over this country, what you see is massive education cuts. i am traveling. i was in texas, illinois the week before. i go to all of these democratic, republican

states. states where republicans were at the helm, massive cuts to education. how are we going to out innovate and continue to grow if we are cutting the talent expansion that is public education? you can do it. you can't do it. that is certainly not a pro-jobs strategy. yet that is one that they are pursuing. other strategies they are pursuing in the house, basically and effort to take away the rights of women. you saw last week, the house voted to completely defund planned parenthood. cervical cancer screenings. education, health care, protecting women's choices, contraception. what does that have to do with jobs? going after women, what does it have to do with jobs? you are seeing secretary's

police redefining -- secretary solis -- redefining what forcible rape means, another bill republicans pushed before they realized, hey, this is stupid. but they all have their names on the bill and we will not let any of those sponsors forget what they were trying to do to american women. right? you heard the secretary talk about wisconsin and the other states. i was in madison a couple weeks back. let me put it first in if it were a company. if it was a company what ceo do we admire who comes into a company and as the ceo wages a public war on their own workforce right out of the ate? there are ceo's that do that, but there are no ceo's we admire that do that because

ceo's we admire no, as the secretary said, is about partnership. you work together to find progress. ou do not wage war on your own employees. trying to make public employees the bogeyman and go after them -- these are the people who teach our kids. these are the people who care for a parents and grandparents. and the notion we are going to go after them and make them evil and make them the bogeyman even when they are willing to engage in the shared sacrifice that public employees engage in a most every day shows what that site is about and think that contrast. the first thing the republicans did when they came -- it was not about jobs. they wanted to repeal health care. they wanted to take away from 7 million small businesses the tax credit small businesses are getting to help them afford

health care. they were going to make it more expensive to be a small business. i heard somebody say this. does anybody else find it on that the way they really go after this, they call it obamacare? obamacare? care is a bad word? care is a negative? it is wrong to care? we are against care. we are going to fight against care. i'm glad obamacare is. i'm glad obamacare's. i'm glad democrats care. i'm glad democrats care. i'm glad democrats care. because look -- look. if -- if it's not democrats caring about somebody getting kicked around because they have a pre-existing illness, who is going to care? if it's not democrats, who is going to care? if it's not democrats caring about the cost of college, who is going to care? e do care.

that's one of the great things about being a democrat. we should be proud of that roud of our president. >> in march of 2011, tea party activists rallied in washington, demanding a government shutdown. then congressman mike pence spoke at that rally, voicing support for a the activists. this is part of a special presentation on the careers of the vice presidential candidates. you can watch the entire event on www.c-span.org. >> in mike pence. i am from indiana. welcome back to your nations.

with a debt this year of $1.56 trillion and the national debt of $14 trillion and a defiant liberal majority in the senate, it's time to figure fight -- it's time to pick a fight. >> we have got your back, mike! representative pence: the american people sent a deafening message. they said it's time to and the borrowing in the bailouts and ime to and the congress of nancy pelosi once and for all and you did it. and you did it. and house republicans of god's work being awarded the majority again. we have cut our budgets. we had repealed obamacare. we voted to cut spending. we defunded obamacare and we ended public funding for planned parenthood. that is what we did. house republicans have run headlong into harry reid. harry reid took to the floor of

the senate and set a modest down payment on fiscal discipline was reckless, irresponsible, mean-spirited. he even defended federal funding for the cowboy poetry institute in nevada. the truth is, they just don't get it. they don't get the party is over for liberals in washington, d c -- washington, d.c. the american people are demanding we change the direction of our government. but i learned that things do not change here unless they have to.

we have to say to harry reid and liberals in the senate, this far and no farther. we have to borrow a line from another hairy and this -- from another harry and say the debt stops here. and if liberals and the senate would rather play political games and shut down the government, i say shut it down. representative pence: nobody wants the government shutdown, but if we do not change it, we ill run the future for our hildren and grandchildren. not that these cuts are

anything to write about. these are just down payments, earnest money on restoring fiscal discipline, but it's a start and it is a first step and it will be a win for taxpayers that could set the stage for larger increases, battling for a budget and a long-term budget for fiscal discipline and setting our nation back on the pathway to constitutional limited government sometimes even -- amid government. sometimes even small steps bullied taken can change history. just like it did on christmas ight 1776. a harsh winter storm have settled in the delaware river

valley. public support for the war was waning and the troops were weary and demoralized and a general conceived of a bold and daring plan. he would pick a fight in the dead of night. ake it directly to the enemy. so they boarded the boat's and crossed the great river and they won the day. on the night, 2400 americans thought dean hessians. the battle only lasted a couple of hours. y contrast, antietam, a battle more than a day, the battle of the bulge, a million men, more han a month. while the victory into and was not a great battle, it was a battle of great consequence. history records it was a defining moment in our still young nation.

it showed that victory was in our reach and americans were still ready to fight. it set the stage for larger vehicles -- victories to come. we will not compare military contests with political delay -- debates, but the principle is the same. picking a fight and winning this small step for fiscal discipline in washington, the american people will see the victory over deficits and debt is within our reach, that we can fight and win and restore limited government at the national government. and so, we must fight. republicans must show we are worthy of this moment. equal to the crisis. and squarely defended those in he status quo.

if you read want to fight, let's give it to him. -- if harry reid what's to fight, let's give it to them. democrats in the senate may feel that they have the advantage, but let me assure you. it only seems that way. and minority in the senate plus the american people equals a majority. and -- know this. know this, men and women. whenever you take a stand for freedom, for future generations, for traditional values, you do not fight alone.

he have steered the waters, he who cleared the ice flows will make the way for america because he is not done with america yet. let's go pick a fight. >> tim kaine won his race for u.s. senate in 2012, defeating former virginia senator and governor george allen. from the c-span archive, a ortion of that debate. >> it reminds me of similar

event several years ago. we talked about transportation and right outside this building, there was not a hot links on the beltway being built. we talked about education. we put in place our largest bond package in the history of the commonwealth. and we expanded prekindergarten. and we talked mostly in the chamber about economic development. we won accolades in my first day as governor. i am proud of those achievements. i am especially proud that we did them in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930's. we have to fix congress to end gridlock, gridlock that is blocking progress to important goals. we need to fix the economy. to do it, we level the playing field for small business, we invest in infrastructure and we wind the talent race that will allow us to out educate and out innovate and come up with the ndustry's of tomorrow.

we've got to fix the udget. to do so we need a balanced approach in the short and long-term and i hope we will talk about that short-term sequester challenge. the most important thing we have to do is "results over rhetoric." put partisanship over -- substance over soundbites. if i have the honor to serve as senator, i will govern as i did in the past. thank you. >> thank you, governor. governor alan. governor allen: it is good to be with some many neighbors and friends in the fairfax chamber. i remember all of the accomplishments we had, whether it was locating jobs in fairfax

or reforming and investing in our schools and colleges and working with leaders in both parties to secure funding for key projects. i also want to thank my friend tim kaine. we both love virginia and worked really hard to make it better and at a time when so many people in our country feel our country is on the wrong track and politics are so petty, i hope we can have a positive conversation that will inspire all to the ideals that will build a better future. we have talked to thousands of irginians. they want to restore the promise of the american dream. they want to make sure that their children have access to

the american dream. they want to reinvigorate the osborne or real spirit of our country so job creators have the confidence and the certainty -- they want as to work together for real solutions. they do not want to use people as upon to demand higher taxes for a budget deal. these are tough times, but out of this adversity, we can create a more confident, caring, and prosperous america. that is the agenda i look forward to today. >> governors, thank you to both of you. i want to begin by talking about the role of government in virginia and the country. this is a high growth -- high profile race for virginia and the country. governor romney, some remarks that were taped earlier this year, talked about how there is 40% -- 47% of the country that does not pay federal income tax.

he says that they believe they are victims, who believe they are entitled to health care ree. there are over a million virginians to fall into the category of not paying federal ncome tax. what would you do about that? should that change? and what you think more generally about whether too many virginians, too many americans by extension, are too dependent on government for

basic needs in their life. -- in their life? >> i heard the statements. you can say something of the cup he but a deeply disagree with the sentiments expressed by governor romney. i do not believe virginians are victims. it is condescending and divisive. the last thing we need to do at this moment is to divide people. we ought to be pulling people ogether. i think as we talk about these long-term issues, we have to have shared sacrifice. everybody has to be in the game if we are going to fix our issues. we haven't excellent opportunity to start now. we have an issue on the table -- how do we deal with these year-end budget cuts? rather than divide virginians and americans, let's come together. i have a symbol idea of we can

come together. we let the bush tax cuts expire as planned for people making boards than $500,000. we will medicare to get better prices on the script and drugs. we will let subsidies to the big five will companies xpire. if we do that, we will have $235 billion in savings over 10 years. we can do that -- david: do you believe everyone in virginia should pay something in federal income tax? governor kane: everyone pays taxes -- david: income taxes? governor kaine: many of the 47% pay a higher percentage of income tax than he does. david: governor allen, this is the standardbearer of the republican party. he believes that 47% believes they are victims. do you share that fiction -- do

you share that vision for america? what would you do about the 47%? governor allen: the best indicator of what people will do the future is what they did in the past. i believe the best social program is a job. i worked with the democratic majority in the legislature. we made virginia more business friendly and over 300,000 net new jobs were created in the private sector. one of the other great successes we had was welfare eform. we wanted to lift people out of poverty towards independence and a job. i remember when in no vote was hiring folks. we had a competition between domino's pizza and pizza hut, who could hire the most folks.

a woman said something to the effect of -- what kind of job is this? making pizzas? the owner of the franchise said, how do you think i started? i started delivering pizza. then the mother stood up and said, i think is good for my daughter to see her mother working. that is the do of work. it's a wonderful moment. that is what we should be aspiring to. make sure everybody does have that ability to compete and succeed. i want to see people keep more of what they earn. we need policies that do not increase taxes, but decreased them. tim has a different point of view. david: right, we are going to get to that in moment. i want to get back, respectfully, to my question. it was very specific. the standardbearer of the public the party said 47% of americans see themselves as victims. i asked you pointedly, do you share that vision of america and what would you do to deal

with that 47%? governor allen: as i stated in the beginning to, the best social program is a job. david: do you think half the country sees themselves as victims -- governor allen: no -- david: do you disagree with governor romney on this point? governor allen: i've a different point of view. people still believe in the american dream. our job is to make sure everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams. who has created more opportunities? those folks were down and out. we want to help folks who are able minded, able-bodied. that is one of the great attributes for all americans. they want a government that reflects their values, that gives them an opportunity to be that role model -- david: we will take a moment

for rebuttal. governor kaine: i don't think the question of whether you agree with governor romney's statements is hard. they were very divisive. we are a state that has seen too much divisive politics. one of the things i am proud about about this commonwealth is i see a tremendous effort to turn our back on the divisive politics of the past. y wife's her dad as her poking governor integrated public schools -- my wife, her dad as a republican governor ntegrated public schools because he said it was right to have an aristocracy of merit.

that was his inauguration speech. it may have been off the cuff or a gaffe, but the sentiment is one that virginians do not agree with. we can come together. let's prove that we cannot be divisive. let's come together on the most important issue of the day. let's was all the fiscal challenges -- let's resolve the fiscal challenges. >> tonight, we are looking at key moments in the careers of the vice presidential candidates. mike pence and tim kaine debate ach other october 4. this next segment features a portion of senator tim kaine's first floor speech. it focuses on the economic impact of across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester, enacted as part of a

2011 budget deal. senator kaine: thank you, madam president. it is an honor to speak here as part of my first speech on the senate floor. i am honored to be a part of this body. a normal first speech for a senator is usually a proactive, forward-looking speech. we're not in normal times. a normal first speech usually happens much later after the senator has been around for a number of months. we are not in normal times. a normal first speech for a senator is often in connection with the introduction of a piece of legislation. we are not in normal times. and so, i'm speaking earlier than i would have thought likely when i took the oath of office on january, but we are not in normal times. the abnormality of times has a huge effect on the commonwealth

i am proud to represent. in summer 2011, congress passed a bill we are now talking about, a bill dealing with the sequestration cuts of the federal government. there is no precedent that i'm aware of and good rational history for what is about to happen in 48 hours. congress designed a set of unishing, nonstrategic, ugly cuts designed to hurt the economy and individuals, and all -- however they voted on that bill, did not want those cuts to come into place. for those who voted on the package, they did not want the sequester cuts to occur and believed we would find through compromise and alternative and

those who voted against the package largely voted against it because they did not want these cuts to occur. so the abnormality of the times is this. never in my knowledge in the history of this body has congress designed a punishment that would hurt the lives of regular individuals that would hurt the economy it was -- ordered the economy. it was to not -- it was designed with that knowledge fully. and the effect that the sequester will have on the country and the effect it will have on my commonwealth are so significant and severe that i do feel compelled to speak earlier than i might otherwise have. and i feel the effects of the cuts on this institution and the credibility of the institution are equally severe. what i want to do is basically two things. i want to talk about the effect on regular people.

i'm good you share some stories. i want to talk about short-term impact on these cuts on the broader economy. i want to talk about long-term impacts, impacts we are not necessarily thinking about now, but should cause significant concern. there is a way to avoid this and i want to talk about how we can avoid allowing the self-inflicted wound to occur, and finally, i want to talk about the fact there is an upside in this moment. this is not just about avoiding negatives, avoiding harming people, hurting the economy. i think there is enough upside for this institution and this nation if we do it right. let me begin with mitral tour around virginia.

i'm a brand-new member of the armed services committee. i sit in a wonderful seat following jim warner and jim webb and i'm no replacement for either of those individuals, but i've got eight shoes to fill. so, i decided to take a tour around my state last week and visit such points in the commonwealth where we interact with our national security. the map of virginia is a map of our national security. appomattox where the civil war ended. he pentagon. we are the most connected state in the military. one in eight virginians is a veteran. over 100,000 active duty, dod contractors. by the time you add those up, we're probably talking about one in three virginians. so i went to the place where virginians work every day. active duty on any basis.

as young officer candidates training in rotc programs. i went around the state. let me tell you what i heard. a few miles from here. i've preeminent institution that treats wounded warriors -- a wounded warrior, still in active service, being treated there. wife sitting right next to them. we talked. and she ventured, let's talk about the furloughs of these dod civilian employees. my husband's nurses are all dod civilians. while sequester protects active duty, it does not help civilians. in the same round table, another wounded warrior said to me, boy, the economy is really going to suffer if we have the sequester. we will lose jobs.

he was a wounded warrior as a reservist, waiting to go back into the civilian workforce. what was i going to mean? is there a hiring freeze, a furlough? this wounded warrior worrying about his economic future. we americans, we virginians, we manufacture the largest items on the planet earth. and what a wonderful example of american ingenuity. and yet, the workers of that shipyard are asking about the stability of their work and weathered the ships will truly be ready to do the work they eed to do. at other private shipyards, the owner said, i have 450 employees. the way the navy plans to deal

with sequestration is ramatically reduce maintenance. i am going to issue one notice to tell through to 50 employees they will not have a job. i don't have the business to keep them if the sequestration cuts go through. at a va hospital in richmond, the ba is protected under the sequester. ut they compete with the private sector and they say that this is getting tougher and tougher to do and they do research about dramatic brain injury and that is not

protected from sequester -- traumatic brain injury and that is not protected by sequester. that is in jeopardy if the sequester comes to. it's not just military. uts in head start. the number of at risk children is growing and growing and the number of children total in their classrooms is growing and growing. and then on monday, a number of us were at dulles airport to talk about the sequester on the experience for americans who travel every day with longer lines and higher prices. this is what virginians were telling me as i went to talk to them, the likely consequences they were going to see in their lives. and again and again, what they said to me was go

find a solution. i went to a bluegrass concert on saturday afternoon. i was wearing blue jeans and a corduroy jacket. i was taken an hour off to listen to a set of music. he was a veteran wearing a cap from his navy service and halfway through the set he leaned over to me and he said, i know you are here for music. he said, all i'm going to say is this -- there is nothing you are going to do or not do that will affect my quality of life. i'm fine. but you've got to find a way to get people to work together and find some deal. so, that is what my citizens were saying on my trip. on every stop, sign a deal. not a single person said protect my job, protect my program, protect my priority by making the cuts in other areas worse.

not one person said that. they were asking for a balanced approach where there would be a balance of cuts, but also revenues and we would try to tackle this in a targeted way. >> our special look back at the vice presidential candidates continues with mike pence delivering the indiana state of the state address. he became indiana governor in 2013 after 10 years in the u.s. house of representatives where it you can watch this event in its entirety on our website, www.c-span.org. governor pence: moments like this should be about the future, but is also important we see how far we have come read last year i told you at this podium we would make job creation job one, we would live within our means, we would improve our schools and cut

axes and thanks to the hard-working people of the state and all of you in this room, we did just what we said we would do, we balanced their budgets, we created jobs. we cut red tape. we improved our schools and roads and we pay down state that. heck, i even put the state plane up for sale. do knowing looking for a good deal on a beechcraft king air? ive me a call. and we came together to give hoosiers the largest state tax cut in indiana state history. that's something of which we can all be proud. [applause]

the result? indiana has become a national leader in job growth. last year, hoosiers created more than 47,500 new private sector jobs, and we maintained our triple-a credit rating, one of the few states in the union to do that. and in november, one out of eight jobs created in the united states of america was created by businesses right here in indiana. that is an extraordinary accomplishment for our eople. unemployment was 8.6% when i stood here last year. while it is still too high today, indiana unemployment is now at a five low. since 2009, indiana has the fifth fastest private sector job growth in the united states

of america. indiana is on the move because of the people of indiana. [applause] and let me say most encouraging to this dad -- indiana's fourth and eighth graders recently showed the second best improvement in america in math and reading scores in fourth grade -- and fourth grade reading proficiency is at an all-time high. that is an accomplishment. we can all be proud. [applause] so, we have made progress in jobs and schools. but still too many hoosiers are out of work. our state is lacking behind -- lagging behind in per capita income and health and to make kids and under poor -- underperforming schools. we must remain relentless, bold, and ambitious. that is why last month i traveled throughout the state, from fort wayne to our old state capitol, and i outlined my agenda for 2014.

in the time we have remaining i want to share a few ighlights. first, we all recognize that low taxes are essential to attracting the kind of investment that will create good paying jobs. and even with our recent progress, i believe one significant impediment to investment remains. it's called the business personal property tax. this is especially damaging because it's harder for hoosier businesses to grow because it directly taxes investments they make in equating -- and equipment. let me stay emphatically -- it does not make sense. it looks like our neighboring states figured it out. hio and illinois do not have a

business personal property tax. ohio and michigan just voted to phase there's out. i want to urge members of both hambers, let's work together to find a responsible way to phase out the business personal property tax. but one word of caution. as we work through this process, let's do it in a way that protects our local governments and does not shift the burden of this business tax on the backs of hard-working hoosiers. [applause] i appreciate that both the house and senate leadership are looking at the business personal property tax and other ways to ensure that indiana has the best tax climate possible. but phasing out the business personal property tax, i believe, will spur new investment by businesses large and small.

businesses like a manufacturing startup launched by a marine veteran whose products help support our troops or larger businesses like one started in 1964 to manufacture technical training systems and software or college and industry. today, they employee 143 hoosiers and in 2010 was named indiana outstanding business of the year. these are just two of the kinds of success stories we can see more of with the right kind of ax reform. why don't you join me in welcoming those two great usiness stories? they are with us tonight. thanks for making indiana the state that works. [applause]

governor pence: we have to do more than improve our tax code to get this economy moving again. because roads me need jobs -- because roads need jobs we need highway expansion and put hoosiers back to work keeping us as the crossroads of america. [applause] and because indiana is agriculture, we need a permanent fix to the soil productivity factor. we need to encourage public and private investment to improve the quality of life in our cities. that is the indiana way to a growing future. and that way also means standing up to washington, d.c. from time to time. most hoosiers did not like washington intruding on their health care long before it

ecame a reality. now more people know why we were right to stand up to the government on the affordable care act. the sad truth is traditional medicaid is not just broke. it's broken. research shows the program actually is not lead to better health outcomes and in some cases, believe it or not, it actually hurts the very people it is supposed to help. one analysis found two thirds of children on medicaid and need to see a specialist actually couldn't in that program. traditional medicaid is not a system we need to expand. it is a system we need to change. [applause]

and i believe the healthy indiana plan is a great place to start. the healthy indiana plan is a consumer driven health care plan that moves people from emergency rooms to primary care and encourages hoosiers to take care of their own health care decisions. we will continue to work in good faith with federal officials to expand access to the healthy indiana plan in our state. but i will oppose -- i will any thatl oppose threatens the health care of [applause] te stop >> of course, the most important is