[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 17 (Thursday, February 4, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S470-S472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         PUTTING POLITICS ASIDE

  Mr. KIRK. Madam President, I rise for the honor of speaking on the 
floor of this Senate Chamber for the last time. With the swearing-in of 
Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts scheduled for later this 
afternoon, my time as a Senator is nearing its close.
  I repeat for the record, my most sincere congratulations to Scott 
Brown on his impressive victory. We have worked together to assure that 
he and the people of Massachusetts were well served during the 
transition, and I wish him all the very best in his service to the 
Senate.
  Under the saddest of circumstances--the loss of our colleague and our 
close friend Senator Ted Kennedy--my appointment to this office has 
allowed me to serve my Commonwealth and country in ways I could not 
have imagined a few months ago. It has enabled me to work closely with 
many old and new Senate friends--women and men who have been sent by 
their constituents to work together to make our Nation a better place.
  These months have helped me to understand even more personally why 
Senator Ted Kennedy devoted his public life to the work of the Senate, 
why he took such pride in its history and its accomplishments, why he 
reached across the aisle to find common cause with allies who shared 
his hopes, and why, from time to time, he called upon this body to 
reach beyond the politics of the moment to achieve a greater good for 
the country's future. The lessons of his legacy will live on in this 
Chamber and in the institute devoted to the study of the Senate that 
will bear Ted Kennedy's name.
  I discovered when just a boy how emotionally difficult it was to say 
goodbye. So I learned to use two other words that come much easier at 
times such as this. Those two words are ``thank you.''
  I was not elected to this post, but I am deeply grateful to the 
people of Massachusetts who, through their elected representatives, 
gave me the opportunity to serve them. Particular thanks are owed to 
senate president Therese Murray and house speaker Bob DeLeo for their 
leadership in enabling Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim 
Senator. I will always be grateful to Governor Patrick for his 
confidence in me.
  It was my special gift to have had Senator Kennedy's trust and 
friendship since signing on as a member of his Senate staff some 40 
years ago. But following his death, to be encouraged by his family--his 
devoted wife Vicki, his daughter Kara, his son Ted, Jr., and his son 
Patrick--to consider an appointment to succeed the man whom they so 
loved and who achieved so much in this body is an honor for which no 
words of thanks are adequate.
  I will forever be grateful to my friends and colleagues John Kerry, 
Chris Dodd, and so many others, for their warm and generous welcome to 
the Senate. We shared a bond of sorrow with every other Senator at the 
realization that, after 47 years of legendary service, Ted Kennedy 
would no longer be occupying this desk. It was a time of emotional 
stirring, to be sure. But I found resolve in the certainty that Senator 
Kennedy himself would be the first to urge us to persevere, and that 
attention to Senate duties was the most obvious way I could honor his 
memory.
  In undertaking those duties, I thank the majority leader Harry Reid 
and his entire leadership team for their encouragement, support, and 
wise counsel. I thank the assistant majority leader, Dick Durbin of 
Illinois, for his very generous remarks about me on the floor earlier 
today.
  I thank my Senate freshman colleagues who have been a source of 
strength to me and I predict will be a source of strength and 
leadership in this great body in the years to come; to all my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle; to the officials of the Senate, 
the Secretary, the Parliamentarians, the clerks and reporters; to the 
Sergeant at Arms, the doorkeepers; to the secretaries for the majority 
and minority and their able staffs; to the Chaplain; and, of course, to 
the pages. Each and all of you have been extraordinarily thoughtful to 
me, patient with your tutelage and generous with your kindness and 
courtesies, and I will remember each of you with affection and 
appreciation.
  Finally, I wish to thank the Kennedy-Kirk staff. The Kennedy staff 
has enjoyed a reputation of professional excellence through the years. 
Why? Because they strove to match their boss's unmatchable work ethic 
and his tireless quest for excellence in the Senate. They shared 
Senator Kennedy's commitment to do all within one's ability to make 
America a better and more just society and to make a positive 
difference in the lives of its people.
  I am grateful that many Kennedy staffers were willing to stay on as 
Kirk staffers. It has been my pleasure to share a special bond with 
them and with the capable young recruits who joined our ranks to begin 
their public service with this short-term freshman Senator.
  My special thanks go to Senator Kennedy's and my chief of staff, Eric 
Mogilnicki, who managed our collective efforts with calm and competence 
during months of distraction and heartache; to Barbara Souliotis, 
director of our Massachusetts office who served Senator Kennedy and the 
constituents of Massachusetts with devotion and distinction from his 
very first campaign in 1962 until this very day; and to Carey Parker, 
with whom I began my own Senate service over 40 years ago. Carey was 
the loyal and wise legislative assistant constantly at Senator 
Kennedy's side helping to craft and guide a legislative legacy that 
shall remain a standard of excellence for the ages.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the 
Congressional Record at the conclusion of my remarks a list of my 
staff.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. KIRK. Madam President, these are outstanding public servants who 
have my heartfelt appreciation and every best wish for the future.
  Over 3 months ago, in my maiden speech from this desk, I chose to 
speak about Senator Kennedy's top legislative priority--to make quality 
health care affordable and accessible to all Americans. Since then, 
much has been accomplished in both Houses of Congress to bring us 
closer to that long awaited goal.
  Following the election results in Massachusetts over 2 weeks ago, it 
was suggested that we let the dust settle before deciding what our next 
steps should be on health care reform. But we must not let so much dust 
settle that it buries all the sensible and necessary ideas that have 
been suggested. Comprehensive health care reform must remain an urgent 
priority of the 111th Congress.
  But before we move forward on the path to health care reform and the 
many other critical issues that demand our attention, I respectfully 
submit that the Senate--and by that I mean each individual Senator--
must pause to answer this question: Will the majority and minority walk 
that path together and work together on the business of the people we 
represent or will the people we represent watch the Senate that belongs 
to them revert to the calculated, politically polarizing standoff that 
has alienated the country during these past few months?
  With the results from Massachusetts, much has been made of the fact 
that the numbers have changed in the Senate, and that is true. The 
numbers have changed. But the American people are asking a more 
important question: Will anything else change? Will the Democratic 
majority, despite its still solid numerical advantage, be forced to 
cling to a 60-vote strategy as the only path to forward progress on 
matters small and large, procedural as well as substantive? Will the 
Republican minority misread the Massachusetts results as vindication of 
a strategy to just say no to any measure proposed by a Democratic 
President of the United States or by their colleagues on this side of 
the aisle?
  In my first speech from this desk as the 100th Member and the most 
junior Member and the 60th Democratic vote, I said I was hopeful that a 
newcomer's perspective would be received as a constructive contribution 
to the debate and that the debate should not be about one party 
reaching 60 votes; it should be about 100 Senators reaching out to each 
other to reform a system that better reflects the true values and 
character of our Nation.
  Now some 4 months later, I feel obliged to repeat this observation to

[[Page S471]]

my colleagues, Democrats as well as Republicans.
  Bipartisan comity and collaboration must replace the polarization 
that threatens to poison the atmosphere and impede the work of this 
body. The Senate is in need of its own form of climate change, and only 
Senators of good will and of good faith and of both parties can bring 
that about.
  The American people are filled with anxiety, anger, and impatience. 
They are facing issues of job security, health security, retirement 
security, home security, tuition security, and the list goes on. Their 
crises should not be dividing their Senate; it should be uniting it.
  When the American families we are honored to represent are imperiled 
by economic hardship and uncertainty, they expect Democrats, 
Republicans, and Independents to work together in their common 
interest. And they deserve no less.
  Lest anyone be misled by the message of the Massachusetts election, 
they should examine the exit polls. Voters were asked if the Senator-
elect should join his Republican colleagues and try to block the 
President and congressional Democrats or should he work with them in a 
bipartisan manner. Among all voters, cooperation won by more than 3 to 
1, 76 percent to 21 percent. And among those voters who supported the 
Senator-elect, bipartisan cooperation was preferred to obstruction by 
almost 2 to 1--61 percent to 36 percent.
  I spent a part of my career as national chairman of one of our two 
major political parties. It was my job to be partisan. It was my job to 
weigh each decision, asking whether or how it might give us a political 
advantage in the short run or in the next election. That is what party 
chairmen are expected to do. That is not what Senators are expected to 
do.
  There is always the possibility that my closing remarks will be 
dismissed by some as idealistic or unrealistic or partisan or as just a 
perspective of a short termer who doesn't understand how the process 
works.
  To them, I respectfully suggest that they listen as well to the words 
of the last Republican Senator elected from Massachusetts. This is what 
Senator Edward W. Brooke, an elder statesman of the Republican Party, 
said when he received Congress's highest civilian honor, the 
Congressional Gold Medal, less than 3 months ago:

       I'm here to tell you that politics is not an evil thing. 
     It's a good thing. And when used properly, it does good 
     things. I think of the awesome responsibilities of the House 
     of Representatives and the United States Senate in these 
     years of crisis. . . . Not only this country, but this world 
     looks to you.

  Then, turning away from his audience to directly address the majority 
and minority leadership of both Houses of Congress, Senator Brooke said 
this:

       When Republicans and Democrats get together, they can do 
     anything. And the country is waiting for you to do anything. 
     They just want relief. You have the responsibility, you have 
     the authority, you are the people on Earth that are going to 
     save this country and save the world. Think about that. We've 
     got to get together. We have no alternative. There's nothing 
     left. It's time for politics to be put aside on the back 
     burner.

  Madam President, I submit Senator Brooke is correct. We have no 
alternative. The Republican and Democratic Members of the Senate have 
no alternative but to work together in a bipartisan spirit with a level 
of civility and cooperation that is equal to the dignity of this 
institution and to the magnitude of what is at stake for American 
families.
  The Senate is at its best and is rewarded fairly by the electorate 
when it reflects a spirit of teamwork and collaboration that brings 
results for the people it is meant to serve. We have seen it throughout 
history. We have seen it in statesmen such as Ted Kennedy and Ed 
Brooke. We have seen it in so many others who have served in this 
Chamber with distinction. I know--I know--there are Senators of good 
will of both parties who long for that spirit today.
  We are among the very few who are privileged to serve in this 
historic body. As I complete my own duties here, I could not leave with 
a clear conscience without urging all my colleagues to seize this 
opportunity and this mutual obligation to take the long view, to put 
partisan politics aside, to come together in good faith and good will 
to better serve the institution we revere, the people we represent, and 
the Nation we love.
  Madam President, with gratitude for the privilege of serving the 
people of Massachusetts in the Senate, for the last time, I yield the 
floor.

                               Exhibit 1

                Staff of U.S. Senator Paul G. Kirk, Jr.

                            (Jan. 25, 2010)

       Larry E. Bageant, Bethany Bassett, Eileen M. Brogan, Ronny 
     A. Carlton, Aubre Marie Carreon Aguilar, Thomas D. Crohan, 
     Shawn M. Daugherty, Daniel G. Doherty, John E. Dutton, Jorie 
     Feldman, Michael George, Stephen Gregory, Lauren P. Janes, 
     Royal F. Kastens, Kathleen C. Kruse, Ashley Lerner, Keith 
     Maley, Sean M. Malone, Meagen L. Manning, James M. McCarthy, 
     Eric J. Mogilnicki, Terrence J. Mullan, Carey W. Parker, 
     Patrick N. Rodenbush, Alejandro R. Rodriguez, Julie M. Ryder, 
     Graham D. Shalgian, Donna Smerlas, Barbara A. Souliotis, 
     Tristan D. Takos, Ella M. Tibbs, Thomas B. Walsh, Collenne 
     Wider, Emily A. Winterson.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. Madam President, I wish to thank my colleague, Paul Kirk, 
for his eloquent and important comments to the Senate. He said a moment 
ago he hoped a newcomer's perspective would be a constructive 
contribution to the debate. I think all my colleagues would agree that 
whether in the caucus or in his maiden speech before the Senate or in 
his comments just now, Paul Kirk has made an important contribution to 
the Senate.
  Shortly after his oath of office last September, I said Paul was 
smart, modest, polite, civil, and willing to share credit, and despite 
all that, I still thought he would be a terrific Senator. I think all 
of us would agree he has been a terrific Senator in a short span of 
time.
  At a time of enormous upheaval in Massachusetts, a time of mourning, 
there was no one who was more suited for the moment than Paul Kirk, and 
there was no one who understood the meaning of the moment better than 
Paul Kirk--Ted Kennedy's friend of 40 years.
  Everyone would agree Paul hit the ground running. He was familiar 
with Teddy's staff and was able to bring highly qualified people 
himself. He had a command of all the issues that were facing the 
Senate. He had a special understanding of the politics that are played 
in Washington. Paul was always aware, as he said with his dry wit, that 
he was a short-timer, but in his months here he didn't decide to come 
and be satisfied to simply serve out the term. He led, just as he 
expressed to us he knew people expected him to.
  He cast an all-important vote, obviously, in the Senate's historic 
passage of comprehensive health care reform. But, frankly, much more 
important than a decisive vote, he provided a clear and compelling 
voice in the Democratic caucus for important features of the health 
care reform bill, especially the Community Living Assistance Services 
and Supports Act--or the CLASS Act, as it is known. That is an act Paul 
fought hard for, based on his commitment to providing much needed 
insurance support to Americans with disabilities, allowing them to live 
independently in their communities. It was a cause, I might add, that 
marked Ted Kennedy's life but also Paul's.
  Paul didn't just work on health care reform. As a Member of the 
Senate Armed Services Committee, he asked tough and prescient questions 
of the Secretary of State, of the Defense Secretary, of the Chairman of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, about the military mission 
in Afghanistan--the kind of questions of which I know his mentor, Ted 
Kennedy, would have been proud.
  He also cosponsored legislation to achieve greater parity in domestic 
partner benefits between the Federal workforce and the private sector 
employees. He worked with me to extend unemployment insurance benefits 
that will benefit as many as 40,000 Massachusetts residents, as well as 
get $80 million in Federal grants for community health care centers in 
Massachusetts.
  In all this--and Paul spoke about it a few minutes ago--he was served 
by this amazing array of staff who are assembled behind him. He was 
served superbly by Senate staffers he inherited from Ted Kennedy and 
those he brought to the Senate. These outstanding men and women deserve 
our

[[Page S472]]

thanks, as he has given them all our thanks in the Senate and well 
wishes for the next chapter in public service.
  In one of his early speeches in the Senate, Paul Kirk spoke at length 
about his friend, Ted. He said Senator Kennedy was not one to sit idly 
by--he acted; he acted to help as many people as possible. Well, the 
same can now be said also of Senator Paul Kirk, though obviously for a 
much shorter period of time. He was not one to sit idly by. In the 
short time he has been here, he did act, and he has helped as many 
people as possible.
  When he was selected to replace his friend in the Senate, I was 
reminded then--and I think I mentioned this on the floor--of Ted 
Kennedy's fondness for the poet Robert Frost and a line from one of his 
poems. Frost wrote:

       Men work together, I told him from the heart, whether they 
     work together or apart.

  Teddy and Paul worked together for much of their lives. Even though 
they have been apart these past months, they have never stopped working 
together in the spirit and in the causes that Paul has embraced in his 
time here.
  As I think about the comments he just made, in talking about what we 
need in the Senate, I couldn't help but look across the aisle and not 
see a Senator there. I regret that. Senator Inouye, seated to my right, 
has served here much longer than most of us--and Senator Leahy, who was 
just here, and Senator Dodd--but I think we were all part of the Senate 
a number of years ago when that never would have been the case.
  So it is what it is. I hope they hear his comments. I hope all our 
colleagues will reach for this moment Senator Kirk has asked us to and, 
in doing so, will keep faith not just with his service but with the 
service of our dearly beloved friend, Ted Kennedy.
  I wish to thank Paul Kirk for his service to the people of the 
country and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the way in which he 
kept faith with the spirit of the law which sent him here. I think he 
has served us all well, and we will miss him.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Warner). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________