Tim Kaine Gets Emotional Talking About Clinton

Sen. Tim Kaine found himself getting emotional as he introduced Hillary Clinton prior to her concession speech on Nov. 9. Addressing a crowd of campaign staffers at The New Yorker Hotel, the senator listed an impressive list of his running mate's accomplishments and the admirable personal qualities she possesses that would have made her a fantastic president. It's safe to say that others in the room were equally as emotional as he delivered his comments.

"I’m proud of Hillary Clinton because she has been and is a great history maker in everything she has done: as a civil rights lawyer, and first lady of Arkansas, and first lady of this country, and senator, and secretary of state. She has made history in a nation that is good at so many things but that has made it uniquely difficult to be a woman elected to federal office. She became the first major party nominee as a woman to be president, and last night won the popular vote of Americans to be president. That is an amazing accomplishment, it is an amazing accomplishment."

He went on to praise Clinton's commitment to improving the lives of families and children, the deep loyalty she shows to her team, and her love for the United States. His eyes were visibly misty throughout the six-minute speech. One of the most moving moments was when he looked down at his notes, slightly shaking his head after saying, "We know she would've made history as a president in one sense, but we've never had a president who's made their whole career about the empowerment of families and children, and I was as excited about that in the Oval Office as I was excited to have my friend Hillary there."

With most pollsters and election forecasts predicting a Clinton win, the news of Donald Trump's victory came as a shock to people across the country and throughout the rest of the world. The Clinton campaign was largely confident that they'd succeed in clinching the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the presidency, undoubtedly making Kaine's speech more difficult to deliver than it would have been for a candidate who expected to lose.

Kaine ended his speech with a quote from Faulkner. "They've killed us, but they ain't whooped us yet," he said to a cheering room. For those of us disappointed with this election's results, this quote instills a nice dose of motivation.