[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 22031-22034]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         FAREWELL TO THE SENATE

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I am glad to be here with my colleagues 
to express my gratitude for the incredible, blessed life's journey I 
have experienced thus far and the wonderful contributions this place 
has made to that. I have been enormously blessed by the people of 
Arkansas to have represented them in the U.S. Congress, first as a 
Member of the House of Representatives and finally now as a U.S. 
Senator. Today, I rise as the daughter of two amazing parents, Martha 
and the late Jordan Lambert, the proud daughter of a seventh-generation 
Arkansas family, dirt farmers--not to be confused, we didn't farm dirt, 
but we were hardworking farmers who were not afraid to get dirty, to 
get our hands into the Earth and to do what it was we have done for 
generations in Arkansas. I am also the proud wife of Dr. Steve Lincoln 
and the very proud mother of two incredible young men, Reece and 
Bennett--great boys. You all have watched them grow up. It is the many 
unique life experiences each of us brings to this place and to this job 
that really and truly contribute to the mark we leave on this 
institution.
  When I came to the Senate, my boys were 2 and we were about to 
celebrate their third birthday. We didn't have any friends up here, so 
I looked around the Senate to see who had children, who could bring 
their kids to our birthday party, and there were a few. We kind of had 
to rent out some kids to come to the Moonbounce to have a great party 
and it was fun. I realized how important that experience was for me to 
bring to this body, to share with people. Patty Murray knows--she has 
been there--Mary Landrieu, Amy Klobuchar, and so many others who have 
had their children here in the Senate. What a difference that makes in 
your perspective on what you are doing here. It makes a big difference.
  Birthdays were a big deal when we first got here. In my household, 
you are allowed to celebrate your birthday for an entire week, and it 
is always a great time. My first birthday I celebrated in the Senate 
was unusual. We had just moved. My husband had moved his practice. The 
boys were here. They had just turned 3. It was hectic. It was a new 
Congress. We had all just come through an impeachment trial. There were 
many things going on. When my birthday came around, it kind of came and 
went. My husband noticed that. So we had gone to a spouse dinner 
shortly after my first birthday in the Senate. My good friend, Joe 
Biden, who was my seatmate before he left to become Vice President, and 
his wife Jill had reached out to us to make us feel comfortable. We 
were young parents. We had small children. We were both working very 
hard.
  The first spouse dinner we went to, we were sitting with Joe and 
Jill, and Jill produced a lovely birthday gift. It was a monogrammed 
box, obviously something that was thought about. It wasn't something 
she picked up and regifted from her closet at home. It meant so much to 
my husband and to me, that we were a part of a family who realized what 
we were going through--not just what they were going through but what 
we were going through. I looked at Jill and told her: You couldn't have 
done anything to make me or my husband more happy than to think of 
something that was important in our lives, and they did that. I have 
been a part of this family, and it has been a great time.
  As I glance back on my time here, I do so with great pride, knowing 
that each of my votes and actions were taken with the best interests of 
the people of Arkansas in mind. I have always attempted to conduct 
myself in a manner that would make Arkansans proud, and my tears today 
I hope are not going to affect that. Living by my mother's rule as we 
did growing up, if it was rude or dangerous, it was not allowed, and I 
hope I have definitely met that rule because Mother sent us off with 
it.
  As a farmer's daughter, I am honored to have helped craft three farm 
bills that were crucial to the economy of Arkansas. I was able to 
persuade my colleagues to understand the regional differences in 
production agriculture in our country but, most of all, I am proud I 
was able to impress upon my colleagues and others, hopefully, across 
this great Nation of ours the enormous blessing our Nation receives 
from farm and ranch families, what they bestow upon us, what they allow 
us and all the rest of the world to do each and every day; that is, to 
eat, to sustain ourselves, and to be able to grow.
  I am particularly honored to have become the first woman and the 
first Arkansan to serve as the chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. It has been a wonderful year I 
have had, and I will always be proud of what we have accomplished in 
that committee this year and certainly in years past.
  We passed historic child nutrition legislation. As a result, each 
meal served in schools will meet nutritional standards our children and 
future generations deserve, putting them on a path to wellness instead 
of obesity. As a result, we will see an increase in the reimbursement 
rate for schools for the

[[Page 22032]]

 first time since 1973--since I was in junior high, younger than my own 
children today--and we did so by not adding one penny to the national 
debt as well as doing it in a bipartisan way.
  We produced historic Wall Street reform legislation. When I became 
chairman of the committee, our economy was on the brink of collapse. 
Our legislation targeted the least transparent parts of the financial 
system and will bring them not only within the plain view of regulators 
but also in the view of hardworking Americans who want to know what is 
going on in our economy and in the marketplace.
  Throughout my time in the Senate, I have fought hard on behalf of 
rural communities and families. In the House, sitting next to Ed Markey 
on the Energy and Commerce Committee, he always called me Blanche 
``Rural'' Lambert. He said: Blanche, every time your mouth opens, it 
says rural. I said: That is where I grew up, that is whom I represent, 
and you will always hear me speaking on behalf of the families in rural 
America.
  I wrote the legislation establishing the Delta Regional Authority, 
the only Federal agency designed to channel resources, aid, and 
technical assistance for economic development in the rural and 
impoverished Mississippi Delta region.
  I fought for tax relief for hardworking low- and middle-income 
Arkansas families, and I am most proud of the refundable child tax 
credit I worked on with Senator Olympia Snowe. I have also fought for 
the certainty for farmers and ranchers and small businesses in Arkansas 
with fair estate tax reforms with Senator Jon Kyl.
  I am proud of my work on behalf of Arkansas and our Nation's seniors, 
including my work on the prescription drug program for seniors, working 
with Senator Baucus and others on the Finance Committee; the Elder 
Justice Act that is now law, the first Federal law ever enacted to 
address elder abuse in a comprehensive manner. I was honored to be 
joined in that effort by Senators Orrin Hatch and Herb Kohl and the 
hard work we put toward that.
  Growing up in a family of infantrymen, I am proud to have fought for 
Arkansas servicemembers, veterans, and their families, specifically 
fighting for funding increases for the VA and the creation of the VA's 
Office of Rural Health, as well as better access to quality mental 
health care for all our veterans.
  I came to Congress to fight on behalf of our Nation's children, 
families, veterans, small businesses, and farmers, and I am honored and 
humbled that in each of these areas, I was able to achieve legislative 
success on their behalf.
  But as my mother would say, straighten up and pay attention to what 
this is about. This speech is not about yesterday, and it is not about 
today. What I would like for people to remember about this speech is 
that it was about our Nation's future and what we can achieve together. 
We have great work to do, great work. I may be leaving this body, but 
that doesn't mean I give up on my country. You all have much work to 
do.
  Colleagues, we have approached a fork in the road. This is not the 
first, nor do I suspect it will be the last, but we have within 
ourselves the ability in this Nation to choose a positive and uplifting 
path. Harry Reid teases me all the time: Do you smile at everything? 
You know what. There is a lot to smile about. We have great 
opportunities ahead of us in this country, but they are not going to 
happen by themselves. We have the opportunity to choose a path that 
respects differences of opinion. We have the opportunity to choose a 
path that sets aside short-term political gains, a path that maintains 
this body's historic rules that protect the views of the minority but 
also puts results ahead of obstruction.
  Again, I grew up in a family of four kids, and I am the youngest. You 
all wonder why I am so tough. I have been beat up on all my life. But 
my dad always said: It is results that count. It is what you finish and 
what you accomplish. It is not these little battles we fight; it is the 
war we are going to win, and it is not a war we are going to win 
without the Republicans or without the administration or without our 
constituents. It is a war on behalf of our Nation, and it has to be 
done together.
  Many of my colleagues have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting 
my husband. My husband doesn't like crowds a lot. I love crowds because 
I love being together. I love being a part of things. I love being a 
part of a team. My team is here, my Lincoln team. It is a great team. 
They have been a wonderful group to work with. You are a part of my 
team. You are my family in the Senate. Being together and working 
together is an incredible blessing, and we have to make sure we realize 
that.
  Our country is certainly at its best when we are collectively working 
together for a goal. All you have to do is listen to your parents or 
your grandparents talk about victory gardens or rationing nylons or 
anything else that happened during the war when people were working 
collectively together.
  Our country is facing many challenges. There is no doubt the American 
people are frustrated. They are frustrated with our lack of 
productivity, and they are so anxious to be a part of the solution that 
needs to happen here--the coming together, the finding of solutions to 
the problems we face and the results we need to have. I am confident 
that, together, we can overcome all these differences and continue to 
be the leader of the rest of the world as we have been and should be. I 
leave this body with confidence that we can provide our citizens with 
the type of government they deserve: a government that provides results 
and certainty about the future they so longingly want to be a part of 
and that they want to protect for their children, rather than 
obstruction and sound bites and confusion.
  With teenage children at home, it is a true blessing that we live in 
a day and in an age where information is available at a moment's 
notice. I have watched my children--I had to go borrow the encyclopedia 
from my cousins next door. My kids click on the computer and 
immediately there are incredible volumes of information. They teach me: 
Mom, come look at this. Did you ever know this? It is amazing what is 
available to us. It is equally as important, though, that we, the 
American people, take the time that is necessary to understand the 
solutions to the challenges and not succumb to the convenience of 
modern technologies to take the place of our own good judgment. We 
cannot do that. The minds of the people of this country, the minds of 
the body of this institution ensure that we use the good sense God has 
given us to know what those right solutions are. To all of America, 
myself included, we must all discern carefully the information that is 
provided to us. It is all extremely convenient, but convenience is not 
what this is about. It is not about convenience. It is all about doing 
the right thing. So I call on not only our good judgment but our 
collective love for this country so we can meet the challenges our 
Nation faces. I know I am teaching my children that at home. I am also 
blocking some of the things they can get on the Internet. But I am also 
teaching them to use their own minds, their own thoughts: What is it 
you would have for your fellow man? How would you want people to 
behave? It is absolutely critical in this day and age.
  To my colleagues on both sides of the political aisle, I implore each 
of you to set the example for our country by working together to move 
our Nation forward. We must start practicing greater civility toward 
one another, both privately and publicly. I can't forget when I first 
came to the House of Representatives, I called my colleague and 
neighbor, Bill Emerson from southern Missouri. I told him, I said: 
Bill, you know when you move into a new place, where I come from you 
bring somebody a cake or a pie, a batch of rolls or something. I said: 
I am not a bad cook, but I don't have a lot of time on my hands. I want 
to visit with you. You are a Republican, I am a Democrat, but you are 
my neighbor, and I am willing to bet you we agree on far more than we 
disagree on. As we visited for 45 minutes in that very first 
introduction, we came to the conclusion

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that we agreed far more on the same things than we disagreed. We 
decided to start the civility caucus. It lasted 3 months.
  The fact is, there is much work to be done there, and we can do it.
  Taking advantage of political gusts of wind is not what our 
constituents expect of us nor is it what they deserve. I urge you to 
have the courage to work across party lines. There is simply no other 
way to accomplish our Nation's objectives, nor should there be. 
Although you run the risk of being the center of attention for both 
political extremes, it is a far greater consequence to put personal or 
political success ahead of our country, and I know firsthand.
  We must have the courage to come out of our foxholes--the foxholes we 
dig into--to the middle, where the rest of America is and discuss our 
collective path forward. I am counting on each of you to do so in a way 
that respects the temporary position we have all been granted here and 
respect this institution of ours that we have been blessed to inherit. 
It is an amazing place. Each of you has seen it in your own right and 
you know it.
  To the young people of America, I think this is so important. I came 
here as the youngest woman in the history of our country to ever be 
elected to the Senate. I did so because I believed so strongly in the 
difference I could make. I still do. That is what this country is 
about. It is about making a difference, not for yourself but for 
others. I continue that journey now, as I leave this place, knowing 
there are still so many ways I will make a difference. But to those 
young people out there in this country, do not think this place is 
reserved just for age or experience. It is here that you could make a 
difference, whether you are elected or whether you are one of the 
incredible and phenomenal staff that helps to run this place, or 
whether you just simply choose to be out there and engaged in what is 
going on. There are many contributions to be made to this Nation by the 
young people of this country.
  I leave this body with no regrets and with many incredible 
friendships. You know the old adage, ``If you want a friend in 
Washington, get a dog.'' You all know I have a very large dog. But I 
also have some wonderful friends, and I am very grateful for those 
friendships.
  When I first arrived, my friend Mary Landrieu had been in the 
hospital. I showed up at her house with a chicken spaghetti casserole, 
a bag of salad, and a bottle of wine.
  She said: What are you doing here?
  I said: You know, where I come from, when your neighbor or friend is 
sick, you take them dinner.
  She said: Blanche, we don't do that up here.
  I said: Let me tell you, if we forget where we come from, there is a 
big problem.
  I am grateful. I will not attempt to go one by one through each of 
you, but know that every one of you all have a special place in my 
heart. You have taught me something. You have enriched my life in such 
a way, it is amazing. You also know--many of you personally--that I 
follow in some very large footsteps, between so many Arkansans, most 
recent being McClellan and Fulbright, David Pryor, and Dale Bumpers, 
who is my immediate predecessor. I thank Dale for the incredible mentor 
he has been to me and for the wonderful things he has done for our 
State.
  I leave you with an unbelievable Senator, and that is my good friend 
Mark Pryor. He is a statesman. He follows in the footsteps of all of 
those giants from Arkansas. I am enormously grateful to him for his 
friendship and, more importantly, for his great service to the people 
of Arkansas. So I leave you in good hands, without a doubt, with my 
good friend, Senator Mark Pryor.
  I have been surrounded, both in the past and currently, by an 
unbelievably dedicated, loyal, and hard-working staff, in my personal 
Senate office both in Arkansas and Washington, and certainly in the 
Agriculture Committee. To my staff, they know how much I love them. Our 
State and this institution are better because of their hard work and 
dedication. Without a doubt, they are smart and they are a great group 
of people. I am so blessed to not only know them but to have worked 
with them.
  I have always been blessed with a loving and supportive family who 
have been my inspiration and bedrock all my life, and they continue to 
be.
  Finally, let me, once again, say thanks to the people of Arkansas. My 
roots have been and always will be in Arkansas. That will never change. 
When Steve and the boys and I left after Thanksgiving to come back for 
the lameduck session--of course, as you all know, traveling with your 
family and just getting back in time--we left at 5 in the morning. We 
drove to Memphis because it was faster. We were halfway between. We had 
been at the cabin duck hunting and celebrating Thanksgiving with 
family. We were headed to the Memphis Airport, and the Sun was rising 
over the Arkansas delta.
  Now, I am sure many of you all have never seen that, but it is a 
magnificent view. It reminded me of all of the great things I came here 
to do. It made me feel blessed with all of the things I was able to 
accomplish. But to know that I could go back to that same home and see 
that sunrise, it is unbelievable.
  I will always treasure the experiences of this chapter in my life and 
the thousands of Arkansans I have come to know and love. They are a 
great group of people. I thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
  To the people of Arkansas and this body, my good friends, I yield the 
floor.
  (Applause.)
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Pryor, is 
recognized.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, let me mention a very abbreviated list of 
Blanche Lincoln's accomplishments: First woman to chair the Senate 
Agriculture Committee; first woman to chair the Finance Subcommittee on 
Social Security Pensions and Family Policy--in fact, the first woman to 
ever chair a Finance subcommittee--chair of the rural outreach for the 
Senate Democratic caucus; chair of the Senate hunger caucus; cofounder 
and cochair of the Third Way; creator of the Delta Regional Authority; 
author of the 2010 child nutrition bill; a key writer of the 2008 farm 
bill; author of the refundable child tax credit.
  Mr. President, I could go on and on, but most of her accomplishments 
and contributions cannot be measured. As she worked on the Agriculture 
Committee, the Finance Committee, the Aging Committee, and the Energy 
Committee, on a countless number of occasions, on amendments and bills, 
she became the Senator who was the key to passage or defeat. A couple 
of years ago, I watched a bill that was making its way through the 
Senate Finance Committee, and there were a lot of people outside of 
this Chamber who had a vital interest in the outcome of that 
legislation. Everywhere I would go I would be stopped and asked: Is 
this bill going to pass? Will it come out of the committee? Will it get 
through the floor?
  What I told the folks who asked that back then turned out to be true: 
As Blanche goes, so goes the Finance Committee, because she was that 
way on all of her committees. She was the swing vote, the key vote to 
getting things done in the Senate.
  Blanche is a role model for many people, especially young women who 
are interested in government.
  I remember sitting down with one of my good friends earlier this year 
and his teenage daughter. We talked about the Senate and politics, 
history, and Arkansas. As we were winding up the conversation, my 
friend asked his teenage daughter: Who is your favorite politician? Of 
course, I sat there and straightened my tie because I thought I knew 
what the answer would be.
  Then she said: Blanche Lincoln. And I know why. It is because Blanche 
represents the best in Arkansas. She represents the best in Arkansas in 
politics and in government. She is a workhorse, not a showhorse.
  Blanche gets things done. The other night, with my teenage daughter, 
I watched some of ``The Wizard of Oz.'' As I was watching it, I was 
struck that the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion were looking for 
three things that

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Blanche has, and what every Senator needs in large quantities: a brain, 
a heart, and courage.
  One of Senator Lincoln's role models she refers to often is Hattie 
Caraway. Hattie Caraway is not exactly a household name in American 
politics, but her portrait hangs just outside this Chamber, in the 
corner, opposite the Ohio Clock. Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was the 
first woman ever elected to the Senate. There is much to admire about 
Hattie Caraway as a Senator and as a person, but the one thing that 
Blanche inherited from Hattie is the pioneer spirit.
  Even in the first decade of the 21st century, Blanche is the owner of 
many ``firsts.'' Even though we don't like to admit it, and we are 
reluctant to talk about it, there is a double standard in politics for 
women. There just is. I am proud to serve with the largest number of 
women this Senate has ever seen, and that goes double for my 8 years 
with Senator Blanche Lincoln.
  Let me say a brief word about her family. Her husband Steve is an old 
friend of mine. We trace our roots back to Little Rock Central High 
School and the University of Arkansas. The Lord has blessed Blanche and 
Steve with two bright, energetic, athletic, and even sometimes well-
behaved sons--and they are great--who are currently freshmen at 
Yorktown High School in Arlington. They bring their parents much joy. 
They are also extremely proud of their mother. I have seen firsthand 
what a wonderful mother she has been and is. I stand in awe.
  In fact, Blanche is not only a good Senator and a good mother and a 
good wife--she is much more. She is a good daughter to her mother, who 
basically runs Phillips County, AK. She is a good sister in her very 
large family. She is a good member of her community, helping friends, 
neighbors, and those in need. Blanche is very faithful in her 
relationship with God, which has given her strength and kept her 
grounded in good times and in bad. She follows the Golden Rule and puts 
her faith into action every single day. Simply put, she is a good 
person.
  Lastly, Blanche is a good boss. She has drawn to her a very talented 
and hard-working staff in Washington, DC, and in Arkansas. I know they 
will always be proud to tell people they worked for Senator Blanche 
Lincoln.
  Before I get carried away, there is one minor matter that I believe I 
need to address. On occasion--rarely, but every so often--Blanche runs 
a little late. I know many of you are shocked to hear this. Let me tell 
you why that is. It is because people love Blanche and Blanche loves 
people, and she is never too busy to stop, to notice, and to listen. 
She is never too busy to talk to the Capitol Police or to the janitor 
here or to that family from Idaho who can't figure out the Dirksen 
building. She takes time for people. And that is one of her attributes 
that makes her so special, because those people are as important to her 
as the most powerful Members of the Congress. That is what makes 
Blanche special.
  It is hard to find just one word to describe Senator Lincoln--kind, 
smart, fearless, persistent, knowledgeable, no nonsense, and I could go 
on. But the one word I would like to focus on today is friend. There 
are 99 Senators today who consider her a friend. They like her, they 
like working with her, and they respect her. I have had many 
Republicans and Democrats say how much they hate to see her leave 
because she makes this place better.
  There is a passage in the Bible that says: ``Well done, thou good and 
faithful servant.'' This applies to Blanche, but not only to the job 
that she has done here in Senate. It applies to her as a person. There 
is a lot more to Blanche than just being a Senator. In January, she 
starts a new chapter. And as much as she will be missed around here, we 
all have confidence there are many more great things to come.
  I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.

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