Tim Kaine: “I came to the floor to hear my colleague from South Carolina, with no notes and with an open heart and open ears…”

“I came to the floor to hear my colleague from South Carolina, with no notes and with an open heart and open ears, because I knew he would be very disappointed that the motion to proceed failed and that he would have strong feelings about that because of his earnest desire to do police reform. I don't question that desire or the desire of any of the cosponsors of this bill, just as I hope colleagues on the other side don't question the sincerity of Senators Booker and Harris and those who cosponsored their bill. But I came with no notes to listen to my colleague and then to offer a word of explanation. I am one of the 44 people who voted no. The Senator from South Carolina said that those who voted no on the motion to proceed didn't vote on the what; we voted no on the who. That is a stiff charge. That is a stiff charge. What I want to say is this. I voted no not on the what and not on the who, but I voted no on the how. We tried it the wrong way. Let's try it the right way. My colleague from South Carolina acts as if this discussion is over. It is only over for those who want it to be over. We tried it the wrong way. Let's try it the right way. What do I mean by that? I think everyone in the Chamber knows what I mean by this. This is an amazingly important topic that is exciting deep and legitimate concerns in the streets of every community in this country. There are two good-faith bills that have been introduced dealing with police reform.…”