[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 20, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6702-S6705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING FORMER SENATOR RUSSELL LONG

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
the greatest Senators to have ever served in this body, the late 
Senator Russell Long. Born in 1918, Russell Long came from a long line 
of Louisiana political elites. From the beginning of his career

[[Page S6703]]

as a public servant, Russell wanted to distinguish his career from that 
of his father and to make his own mark. No doubt, his distinguished 
leadership and passion for serving people allowed him to create a 
legacy that will be remembered by the people of Louisiana and this 
Nation for a long time to come. Although he is no longer with us, the 
legacy of his work and the relationships he fostered will live on 
forever.
  For 38 years, Russell Long engaged in the debate of this Chamber. 
While he was a loyal Democrat, Russell always believed in putting 
principle above politics. His long list of accomplishments is a 
testament to that value. His Earned Income Tax Credit, EITC, has proven 
time and time again to be one of the most effective methods for helping 
low-income workers stay off of welfare. Every year, the EITC helps 
millions of Americans raise themselves out of poverty. Similarly, his 
efforts to expand Social Security to include coverage for the disabled 
have saved tens of millions of lives over the past 50 years. These are 
but a few of the many ways that Russell used his vast knowledge of the 
Tax Code and his position as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee 
to champion the poor and downtrodden.
  Russell Long will not only be remembered for his incredible 
intelligence, but also for his kind, jovial manner. Always ready with a 
quick story or a witty one-liner, Russell was well known for trying to 
ease tensions during difficult debates. His calm presence was a 
unifying force that could negotiate both sides of an issue fairly and 
respectfully. His frequent practice of wrapping his arm around a 
colleague and pulling his colleague so close that he could whisper in 
his ear, helped to keep his friends abundant and his enemies rare. 
Everyone liked and respected Russell; few public servants can claim 
such a distinction.
  In my 23 years of public service, I cannot count how many times I 
have looked to him as an example. Russell Long set a benchmark for 
service to the people of our State--a benchmark we all still strive to 
meet today. I challenge my colleagues to honor his memory and the 
spirit of bipartisanship his career embodied. What mattered to Russell 
was that justice was served and the policies put forward by the U.S. 
Senate were both equitable and fair. Faced with a growing deficit and 
an ongoing war on terrorism, these principles are now more important 
than ever.
  I end my remarks with words from the eulogy delivered by my 
predecessor and Russell's colleague, former Senator J. Bennett 
Johnston, at Russell's funeral:

       Eighty-four years ago, Russell Long entered this life as 
     Huey P. Long Junior. The legendary kingfish thought better of 
     it shortly after and renamed him Russell, and said, ``that 
     boy has to make a name for himself.'' And what a name he 
     made. He served 38 years in the U.S. Senate, 16 of those 
     years as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, longer 
     continuous service in that position than anybody else in the 
     history of the U.S. Senate.
       President-elect Jimmy Carter used to say that he was sent 
     to Washington to run the country and got there and found out 
     Russell Long was already running it. Jimmy Carter may have 
     been exaggerating, but he wasn't exaggerating by very much.
       Russell Long understood that with the tax code we can make 
     water run up hill, and for those who are thirsty and in need 
     that was a great phenomenon for Russell Long to be able to 
     perform, and this State and this Nation for decidedly better 
     because of it.
       His legislative victories are legend. If Russell didn't 
     invent bipartisanship he certainly perfected the art. All of 
     the presidents with whom he served had both respect and 
     affection, and occasionally consternation, with Russell.
       He had a legendary relationship with LBJ. When LBJ had a 
     provision he wanted to pass in regards to agricultural aid to 
     India, Russell said I can't help you, I can't help you, I am 
     against it. Well, LBJ's top aide Bill Moyers called back in a 
     little while and said, ``Why don't you come by the White 
     House this evening, just a quiet dinner.'' And Russell said, 
     ``I'm glad to go by the White House, the president is my 
     friend, but I do not want to talk about agricultural aid to 
     India.'' And Bill said, ``Well, that's a deal.'' So they were 
     sitting in the family room after dinner, just the three of 
     them in their rocking chairs, and after a couple of hours 
     Russell got up to go home, and the president said, ``Now one 
     more thing,'' and Russell's eyes shot through him And LBJ 
     said to him, ``You know that fifth circuit judge from 
     Louisiana you recommended. We'll, we've got a candidate from 
     Texas who's pretty good, too.'' And nothing else was said. 
     You know Texas and Louisiana share the fifth circuit. Well 
     the next morning Russell told his staff, ``Call Bill Moyers, 
     tell him we have an understanding.''
       Nixon called him the partisan of principle, and indeed he 
     was. But he had a few characteristics which I think are neat. 
     He had a fifth gear he could slip into legislatively. He knew 
     when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, when to bring 'em up for 
     a vote, when the time was right, what arguments would appeal. 
     And it was an amazing thing to watch. One of his most 
     enduring characteristics was his sense of humor.
       Russell was always popular with people but he never 
     hesitated to go along with something unpopular when it was a 
     matter of principle. He voted for the Panama Canal because it 
     was a matter of principle. Russell Long had a side that was 
     unknown to the public. Always he was up. He was the most fun 
     person to be with. Anywhere it was fun to be with Russell 
     Long. But he was also sweet and gentle. My 16 years serving 
     as Russell's colleague are among the most pleasant memories 
     of my life.
       He's a legend. A friend. A statesman. He will always be 
     bright and shining within us.

  Bennett's words about Russell are so true. Russell's abilities as a 
Senator are legendary. His passing is a tremendous loss, but his 
service in the U.S. Senate was a great gift to this body, the State of 
Louisiana, and the entire country.
  I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record an excerpt from his 
official obituary and two articles on his life from the Baton Rouge 
Advocate.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             [From the Baton Rouge Advocate, May 13, 2003]

                    Russell B. Long, Legacy to Power

       Russell B. Long had twice as long on this Earth as his 
     father, who died at 42 by an assassin's hand. Huey P. Long 
     was one of the most controversial men in America, and there 
     were many who did not mourn his passing.
       His oldest son will be buried today in Baton Rouge amid 
     real grief at his passing last week, an with great respect 
     for his accomplishments.
       It was certainly not that Russell Long failed to be 
     involved in the great battles of his day. He was sent to the 
     U.S. Senate in 1948, succeeding John H. Overton, and served 
     until he retired and was replaced in the 1986 election by 
     John Breaux, who has held the seat since.
       During his 38 years in the Senate, Long held leadership 
     positions and chaired the Finance Committee, and was 
     intimately involved in the most momentous issues facing the 
     nation. He served on equal terms with giants such as Lyndon 
     B. Johnson at the apex of the Senate's power in American 
     government.
       But if Long moved all his life among the great, he 
     distinguished himself not by emulating his father's colorful 
     oratory but by mastering the governing process. There were 
     probably few more humble and self-effacing men in Washington 
     life, and he made lifelong friends of many of those with whom 
     he served.
       Nevertheless, his legislative skills became legend. He had 
     a fund of Uncle Earl stories to fall back on, but as often as 
     not he was buying time, waiting for the right moment to 
     introduce a skillfully drawn amendment or to strike the deal 
     that would advance both a piece of legislation and 
     Louisiana's interests.
       He could judge the opportune time to strike in the Senate, 
     but he also could be astutely tone-deaf. There is a famous 
     story about President Kennedy lobbying Long for a vote, and 
     Long pretending not to hear and continuing to bring up the 
     subject of Fort Polk. The president got the message: The 
     senator would help the president if the president would help 
     the senator protect the military installation in Long's home 
     state.
       Long was powerful and used his position to bring jobs and 
     projects to Louisiana. No one more diligently protected the 
     oil industry, and shrugged off accusations that he was 
     protecting his own substantial oil an gas properties. If he 
     thought the depletion allowance was good for Louisiana, it 
     would remain in law--and it did, probably too long. But it 
     had a friend in the Senate, and that was Russell Long.
       Long's aide and biographer, Bob Mann, titled his book 
     ``Legacy to Power.'' The power was manifest, but Long's role 
     as the legacy of his populist father often was questioned in 
     years when liberal Democrats saw Long as too prone to support 
     corporate interests.
       It is true that he became more conservative over time. But 
     many of Long's greatest legislative accomplishments were not 
     for oil and gas, or other business interests. They were for 
     Social Security and Medicare, expanding the role of 
     government in protecting poor people and the elderly from 
     privation.
       In retirement and not often in the news in his later years, 
     Long's own legacy might not be fully appreciated in the 
     humble homes that he worked to protect and make whole against 
     the vicissitudes of life.
       He proved himself worthy of his father's best ideals.

[[Page S6704]]

     
                                  ____
             [From the Baton Rouge Advocate, May 13, 2003]

               Long Brought Wisdom, Joy to D.C. Politics

                           (By Joan McKinney)

       Russell Long is being buried today. He's been gone from the 
     U.S. Senate for 17 years. If you are young or new to 
     Louisiana--oh, how unlucky you are to have missed him.
       In the three days since his death, there's been every 
     conceivable claim about Long's importance to the politics and 
     economic life of Louisiana, and the impact he had--and still 
     has--on everybody in the taxpaying workplace, from the 
     richest corporate officer to the poorest wage earner.
       Believe the claims. They're true.
       But what Long did to, and with, the federal tax code as 
     chairman of the Senate Finance Committee--as huge as that 
     work was--that alone would not account for the way we 
     remember him. We remember him in Washington with alternating 
     awe and amusement. Respect and laughter. What finer things 
     could anyone leave behind?
       The most fabulous things about Long were, first and 
     foremost, his awesome brilliance, and, second, his . . . his 
     what? The whole hilarious package of him: the Uncle Earl 
     stories; the Southernisms; the get-to-the-heart of it one 
     liners; the way he'd go red in the face and flail his arms 
     around when he spoke on the Senate floor and go worked up--
     which was just about any time he gave a floor speech.
       There was also the body bend. Long would start that arm a-
     flailing. Maybe he'd pump a fist in the air. Then he'd start 
     pumping both arms up and down. Soon, he'd be pumping so hard 
     that he'd bend at the waist.
       Like the chicken and the egg, who knows what came first--
     the body bend or the baggy pants? Long was renowned for those 
     pants.
       Rafael Bermudez, a former Long aide living in Baton Rouge, 
     tells a story of accompanying Long on a shopping trip. The 
     senator, he said, pulled a huge pair of pants off the rack, 
     put them on, went to a full-length mirror, and bent over to 
     make sure the pants were still comfortable in the toe-
     touching position.
       Indeed, Long was one of the Senate's greatest entertainers. 
     Yet it was hard to quote him. He would complete a virtuoso 
     performance, win every showdown in every amendment--and you'd 
     go back to your notes, and there'd be only fragments. Long 
     regularly dispensed with sentence structure. Free-associating 
     ideas and concepts would rush out of him, and it was obvious 
     that his nimble mind was racing way ahead of his tongue. 
     Often he'd be having so much fun that he'd start squeaking 
     and chortling, and he couldn't complete the thought.
       And he'd stutter. Or mumble.
       Cheryl Arvidson, a former news bureau chief and wire 
     service reporter, said this week, ``He often mumbled very 
     badly, deliberately at times I think.
       She recalled that Steve Gerstel, UPI's legendary Senate 
     chief, ordered her to closely monitor the Senate whenever it 
     was nearing adjournment, and ``especially when Russell Long 
     walked out on the floor.'' Gerstel had warned that, ``Russell 
     will walk out, belch, and we'll have an entirely new tax 
     code.''
       Long's rambling speech pattern was a poor indicator of his 
     coherent thought process. Long knew the most arcane of Senate 
     rules and was a genius at parliamentary maneuver. He seemed 
     to have total recall of the tax code and all IRS regulations 
     interpreting it.
       In my three decades of reporting, Long is the only 
     politician whose intellect so intimidated me that I studied 
     late at night for his occasional briefings with the Louisiana 
     press corps. Any decent reporter tries to be well-grounded 
     for any interview. With Russell Long, it was more like panic 
     cramming for a college exam. You wanted the questions to do 
     justice to the intellect.
       And you didn't want to be snookered. Russell Long could 
     snooker you.
       Everybody knew that a Long tax bill would be chock-full of 
     provisions benefiting one or other Louisiana corporate 
     interest. Sugar and oil and gas were particular favorites, 
     but no Louisiana business was too insignificant for a tax 
     break.
       Usually, these things were hidden in the fine print and 
     went undiscovered until after the bill had passed. A former 
     reporter, Eileen Shanahan, found one of these provisions 
     while a Long tax bill was still pending, and she wrote about 
     it in The New York Times--also explaining that the provision 
     could enhance the value of Long's own oil and gas holdings.
       The Senator made a floor speech and (memory fails a 
     little), he either killed the provision or modified it to 
     exclude his family's interests. When Shanahan next came into 
     the Senate Press Gallery, she got an ovation from reporter 
     colleagues. Not being snookered by Russell Long was that 
     rare.
       The Senator was unrepentant about legislation to help the 
     industry that made him rich. Anything that helped oil and gas 
     would help the Louisiana economy, he said.
       Long said that he was proudest of authoring two tax code 
     provisions for wage earners. The first was the Earned Income 
     Tax Credit that pays cash to people who work but make too 
     little money to pay federal income taxes. If the federal 
     government subsidized welfare recipients who weren't 
     employed, it should also subsidize the ``working poor'' so 
     that welfare was not more generous than employment, Long 
     said.
       His other pride was the Employee Stock Ownership Plan. ESOP 
     gives companies a tax break for helping employees buy shares 
     of company ownership.
       Long was a Democrat, but--EITC and ESOP, notwithstanding--
     liberals didn't find much to love about his work. He was a 
     defense hawk. He seldom met an environmental regulation that 
     he liked, especially one that curbed the practices of oil and 
     gas or agriculture. He seldom met a public works project that 
     he disliked. Highways, channel dredgings, flood control--he 
     supported them all.
       But Long wasn't a conservative ideologue, either. Sometimes 
     he was a tax-cutter. But he also taxed-and-spent with the 
     most ardent liberal.
       Somebody had to pay for Social Security and Medicare, he 
     thought. And he'd noticed that many anti-taxers and anti-
     government business people lined up for government contracts, 
     or for bailouts when things went bad. Long ridiculed that 
     mind-set, reciting this ditty so often it should be chanted 
     at his funeral: ``Don't tax me. Don't tax thee. Tax that 
     fella behind the tree.''
       My favorite Long body language was the neck wrap. He'd 
     throw out an arm, wrap it all the way around somebody's neck, 
     and pull 'em close to whisper in an ear. Sometimes, it was a 
     combination move--neck wrap followed by bear hug.
       Years ago, former Vice President and late Sen. Hubert 
     Humphrey, D-Minn. visited the Senate floor. He was dying of 
     cancer, and everybody knew that this was his goodbye. Long 
     went to Humphrey and gave him the combination. If there was a 
     dry eye in the chamber, it wasn't mine. If anybody ever 
     practiced the Joy of Politics, it was Long. Today's bitter 
     politics could sorely use the palm of his joy.
       Hopefully, The Advocate adequately reported during the 
     years on the facts of Long's legislating. My own journalism 
     failed him on a larger score. You just could not capture on 
     the written page the twinkle in the man's eye.
                                  ____


                        Senator Russell B. Long,

       Former Senator Russell Billiu Long, who served Louisiana in 
     the United States Senate for 38 years, died on Friday, May 9, 
     2003, in Washington, DC. He was 84 years old. The son of Huey 
     Pierce Long and Rose McConnell Long, he was born in 
     Shreveport on November 3, 1918. He attended public schools in 
     Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans and graduated from 
     Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge in 1939 and from 
     its law school in 1942. In 1938, he was elected LSU's Student 
     Body President. At LSU, he was a member of Delta Kappa 
     Epsilon fraternity. He was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 
     1942 and began practicing law in Baton Rouge in 1946. During 
     the Second World War, he volunteered for and served in the 
     United States Navy from June 1942 until discharged as a 
     lieutenant in December 1945. As the commander of an LCT 
     (landing craft tank) vessel, he participated in Allied 
     invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern 
     France. For his service to the United States of America, he 
     was awarded four Battle Stars.
       He served as special counsel to Louisiana Governor Earl K. 
     Long in 1948. On November 2, 1948--the day before his 30th 
     birthday--he was elected to the United States Senate to fill 
     the vacancy created by the death of Senator John H. Overton 
     and took office on December 31, 1948. By large margins, the 
     people of Louisiana reelected him to the Senate in 1950, 
     1956, 1962, 1968, 1974, and again in 1980. He retired from 
     office on January 3, 1987, at the end of his seventh term.
       He served as the Senate's Democratic Whip, or assistant 
     majority leader, from 1956 to 1969. During his years in the 
     Senate, he served on several committees, including Finance, 
     Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Commerce, Science and 
     Transportation, Joint Committee on Taxation, and Select 
     Committee on Ethics. He was chairman of the Senate Committee 
     on Finance from 1965 to 1981. He served as co-chairman of the 
     Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation from 1965 to 
     1967 and as chairman of the Joint Committee on Internal 
     Revenue Taxation from 1967 to 1977.
       He was a fierce advocate of the interests of Louisiana and 
     its people. A tireless and effective champion for the poor, 
     the elderly and average workers, he was father of Employee 
     Stock Ownership Plans; these plans have given millions of 
     American workers a meaningful stake in the companies for 
     which they work. In 1956, he authored the first major 
     expansion of the Social Security system to include benefits 
     for the disabled. He was a primary architect of the Medicare 
     system, creator of the Earned Income Tax Credit (the 
     cornerstone of America's anti-poverty programs), and the 
     author of public financing of presidential campaigns.
       After his retirement from the Senate, he practiced law in 
     Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C. Also, he served on the 
     boards of directors of several corporations: the New York 
     Stock Exchange, Metropolitan Life, Lowe's Companies, and the 
     Louisiana Land and Exploration Company.
       He is survived by his wife Carolyn Bason Long of 
     Washington, D.C.; two daughters, Rita Katherine ``Kay'' Long 
     of Baton Rouge, and Pamela Long Wofford and son-in-law 
     Douglas Lloyd Wofford of Indio Hills, California; one 
     brother, Palmer Reid Long, and his wife, Louene Long of 
     Shreveport; and one sister, Rose Long McFarland, of Boulder, 
     Colorado.
       Also surviving are his four grandchildren, Audra McCardell 
     Snider and husband Jeremy

[[Page S6705]]

     Snider of Rockville, Maryland, Katherine Barrett Mosely, 
     Russell Long Mosely and wife Erin Saporito Mosely, and Kirk 
     Meredith Mosely, all of Baton Rouge. Nieces and nephews 
     include Marsha McFarland Budz of Boulder, Colorado, Terry 
     McFarland Fluke of Gallatin Gateway, Montana, Rory Scott 
     McFarland of Boulder, Palmer Reid Long Jr. of Shreveport, 
     Laura Long Lubin of Los Angeles, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Burke 
     of Morganton, North Carolina, Clark Bason of North Hollywood, 
     California, W.H. Bason, Jr. of Martinsville, Virginia, Sally 
     Bason and Sarah Bason of Reidsville, North Carolina, Mrs. 
     William Bason of St. Mary's, Georgia, Mr. and Mrs. John J. 
     Burke, Jr. of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Carolyn Cumming of 
     Bethesda, Maryland. He was preceded in death by his parents 
     Huey Pierce Long and Rose McConnell Long.

                          ____________________