[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE SENATE?

  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, there is a great deal of discussion 
about Senate retirements, some of it involving this Senator.
  I think all of our colleagues would do well to read an editorial 
about the retirements that appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch 
which I ask to be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

                     What's Wrong With the Senate?

       With the retirement announcements in recent days of two 
     more veteran GOP senators--Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Mark 
     Hatfield of Oregon--the number of senators stepping down next 
     year has reached a record: 12. It may yet go higher. Not 
     since 1896, when senators were still elected by state 
     legislatures, not directly by the voters, have so many quit. 
     Why?
       Some suggest three terms is a magic number, after which 
     fatigue sets in, and, indeed, five of the 12 retirees have 
     served three terms. But the rest have had service ranging 
     from one to five terms, and their ages range from 52 to 77. 
     So there's no pat formula when it comes to fatigue.
       Many of the retirees have expressed disgust with the overly 
     partisan tone today, as well as the distracting burden of 
     constant fund raising--though not all did say so in their 
     retirement announcements. Still, one thing is clear: Most of 
     the retirees were senior members of major committees and held 
     substantial power, and nearly all were pragmatists used to 
     working across party lines. Apparently, the prospect of 
     continued influence wasn't enough to keep the 12 in the 
     Senate.
       The characteristic all of them have in common was stated by 
     Mr. Simpson. He said, ``The definition of politics is this: 
     There are no right answers, only a continuing flow of 
     compromises . . . resulting in a changing . . . ambiguous 
     series of public decisions, where appetite and ambition 
     compete openly with knowledge and wisdom.'' That is a good 
     description of the legislative process at its best. It is 
     also completely opposed to the philosophy of the newer GOP 
     members who now control Congress and seek to dominate both 
     the party and the country.
       Under such circumstances, those of moderate tone, even if 
     their politics vary across the spectrum from right to left, 
     inevitably must feel out of place. Though one, Bob Packwood 
     of Oregon, was forced to resign because of scandal and two 
     more are well into their 70s, the retirement of 12 senators 
     in one year suggests Congress is losing many of its best 
     people for the worst reasons. When will the American people 
     put a stop to this by rejecting the poisonous politics of 
     absolute truth and relentless demonization of those who see 
     things differently?

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