Honoring the life and recognizing the far-reaching accomplishments of the Honorable Jack Kemp, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to pay tribute to a great American, my friend and my personal mentor, Jack Kemp.

As a 23-year-old kid, Jack Kemp took a chance on me and had me come and serve as his personal economic policy analyst in a new thing he was starting called Empower America. As his aid and his speechwriter, I learned not only how he articulated his vision, but, more importantly, the philosophical underpinnings of this vision and the universal power of Jack Kemp's vision.

You see, Jack is the reason I ran for Congress. He saw something in me that I didn't even know was in me. He taught me how to approach people with that sort of infectious optimism that I strive for, and he reminds us that there is nothing more than uplifting the idea of America that we champion. I would consider myself blessed to have a mere thimbleful of his abilities and vision.

Jack Kemp had a transforming impact on the economic landscape of America. And, as true as that is, his impact on our Nation's political landscape may be even greater, though not in a partisan or a very narrow political sense. I mean in the way that America understands itself, in the way that we understood the great purpose of our system of self-government.

Jack Kemp was a self-taught man. He read the economic classics, beginning with Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. He also read and studied the Declaration of Independence. Both, as it happens, were published in 1776, year 1 of our country's independence.

He mastered and spelled out for us the great insight that economic freedom and political freedom are intertwined in integrated parts of the order of human freedom. He reminded us that families, faith, and education, not government, are the true sources of the qualities of character without which there can be neither economic nor political freedom.

Jack wasn't interested in the details and the fine print or even the micromanaging policies that he promoted, nor were his policies merely short-term tinkering. Whether he was advancing his 30 percent across- the-board income tax or his enterprise zones, he was never looking for just ways to add up points to gross domestic product.

What he promoted was America itself, the American idea, which, in the 1970s, had fallen on hard times. The American idea needed an American renaissance, and he was just the man to inspire that rebirth.

Two great leaders that Jack always talked about were Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. He was a fine student of those two men.

I simply want to close by saying that the life of Jack Kemp is a life where they broke the mold. Ronald Reagan motivated me; Jack Kemp inspired me.

May God bless Jack Kemp and the memory and the works of this fine man, and may He bless his family.

I'd like to pay tribute a great American--my friend and my personal mentor--Jack Kemp. As a 23-year-old kid, Jack took a chance on me, asking me to serve as his staff economic analyst at a new think tank, Empower America. As his aide and speechwriter, I learned not only how he articulated his vision, but more fundamentally the philosophical underpinnings and universal power of this vision.

Jack is the reason I ran for Congress. I was motivated by Ronald Reagan, but inspired by Jack Kemp. He saw something in me that I didn't even know existed. He taught me how to approach people with an infectious optimism, and reminds us all that there is nothing more uplifting than the idea of America. I would consider myself blessed to have a mere thimble full of his abilities and vision.

Jack Kemp had a transforming impact on the economic landscape of America. True as that is, his impact on our nation's political landscape may be greater, though not in a partisan or narrowly political sense. I mean in the way America understands itself and in the way we understand the great purposes of our system of self- government.

Kemp taught himself by reading the economic classics beginning with Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, but he also read and studied the Declaration of Independence, both as it happens, were, published in 1776, year one of America's independence. Kemp mastered . . . and spelled out for us . . . the great insight that economic freedom and political freedom are intertwined and integrated parts of the order of human freedom. He reminded us that families, faith, and education--not government--are the true sources of the qualities of character without which there can be neither economic nor political freedom.

Jack was not that interested in details and fine print, even of the policies he promoted. Nor were his proposals mere short-term tinkering. Whether he was advancing his 30 percent across the board income tax strategy, or his enterprise zones, or lowering regulatory barriers to growth and homeownership, he was never just looking for ways to add a point or two to the GDP. What Jack promoted was America itself . . . the ``American idea'' which in the 1970s had fallen on hard times. The ``American idea'' needed an ``American Renaissance'' and he was just the man to inspire that rebirth.

The driving passion of Jack's life was to bring every person to full participation in a society of opportunity and freedom, especially the poor and minorities who could not quite reach up to the first rung on that opportunity ladder. You might say that Jack's greatest indignation was reserved for programs and policies, intended or not, that cut away the bottom rungs on the ladder and left the poor in despair of improving their lives.

Jack's way to the boundless opportunities of the future led him through the past, to the American Revolution and the Civil War. The American statesmen who inspired him most were Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

He loved Mr. Jefferson particularly for the immortal words he carved into the Declaration of Independence--that by the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, all men are created equal in their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. ``All men'' meant all human beings, Jack used to say, not just males or whites or Anglo-Saxons or people from some specific background. The American idea, in other words, is freedom for all human beings everywhere in the world for all time to come.

The more Kemp studied Lincoln's statecraft, the more he embraced Lincoln's vision. The Great Emancipator's titanic struggle against the abomination of race-based slavery, of course, was tethered to the golden words of Jefferson's Declaration. ``All honor to Jefferson,'' wrote Lincoln, ``to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so embalm it there, that to-day, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression.''

Lincoln's statecraft was intended to open the doors to citizenship, voting rights, work and ownership opportunities to the enslaved blacks just as much as anyone else. Kemp saw that Lincoln's struggle against black slavery was part and parcel of Lincoln's project to extend the benefits of self-government and free markets to all.

Jack could quote passage after passage from Lincoln's speeches and writings to illustrate that the opposite of slavery--where one

person owns another person--is freedom and equal opportunity--where every human being has the right to own and acquire property. One of the most succinct Lincoln quotes that epitomized Kemp's perspective was from a speech Lincoln gave on his way to the White House:

I don't believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich

[Lincoln said]; it would do more harm than good. So while we

do not propose any war upon capital, we do wish to allow the

humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else.

When one starts poor, as most do in the race of life, free

society is such that he knows he can better his condition; he

knows that there is no fixed condition of labor . . . I want

every man to have the chance . . . and I believe a black man

is entitled to it--in which he can better his condition, [and

look forward with hope].

Kemp and Lincoln had the same principal concern: to open up a path for those at the bottom to rise as high as their abilities and imagination could take them. Jack never lost a night's sleep worrying about taxing the rich too much. He lost sleep over programs that foreclose opportunity by weakening incentives for the poor to become rich.

With due respect, no statesman of the last generation has made the spirit of Lincoln so much his own as Jack Kemp. Rare was the Kemp speech or essay that did not sooner or later recur to Lincoln for insights on democracy, whether in domestic or foreign policy.

In his effort to grow in his understanding of Lincoln, Jack met and corresponded with the best Lincoln scholars in America; occasionally he challenged them. He was pleased by the invitations to join Lincoln historical associations and was professionally recognized for his knowledge and interest. So vital was Lincoln's vision of equality and opportunity that Jack would debate and respond to those who saw Lincoln as a proponent of ever growing federal programs--for example, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo who co-edited a book of Lincoln speeches. Even so, Kemp had a good word for anyone, left or right, who recognized Lincoln's greatness, importance to the meaning of America, and relevance for the economic and political issues of our time. It was altogether fitting and proper that Jack's last syndicated column published in February was titled ``Honoring Lincoln,'' in celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of our greatest President.

It is true that Jack was a fighter for his vision of the American idea, but Lincoln deepened Jack's natural inclination to rise above party to the love of country. Last November, across the political divide, Kemp wrote a touching letter to his 17 grandchildren rejoicing in the transformation of America that allowed an African-American to win the Presidency. But that wasn't all. Jack noted that Barack Obama, like himself, often referred to his Illinois predecessor, Abraham Lincoln. It was quintessential Kemp to praise Obama generously even as he reiterated his personal vision of America:

When President-elect Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln on the

night of his election [Kemp wrote], he was acknowledging the

transcendent qualities of vision and leadership that are

always present, but often overlooked and neglected by

pettiness, partisanship and petulance. . . . President-elect

Obama's honoring of Lincoln in many of his speeches reminds

us of how vital it is to elevate these ideas and ideals to

our nation's consciousness and inculcate his principles at a

time of such great challenges and even greater opportunities.

Kemp himself contested for the Presidency and like a number of other excellent statesmen in the past who were driven by ideas, he did not reach that goal. But I believe with all my heart that through his ideas and his passion, his unconventional thinking and dedication to the principles of equality, freedom, and opportunity, Kemp made us a better people and our country a nobler place.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this is the definition of bittersweet. Bitter because Jack Kemp was one of my best friends; sweet because we are here marking a remarkable person, a remarkable history, and a remarkable contribution to this House of Representatives.

Jack Kemp, yes, served with distinction in this House. But more than that, he gave this House life. As I was saying to another Member who served with him, as did I, when you talk about Jack Kemp, a smile comes to your lips, not because he walked with the swagger or arrogance of a former athlete, but because he walked with the grace of a former athlete who extended that grace to his public service.

Jack Kemp was a remarkable man. Jack used to say that he probably showered with more African-Americans than most Republicans had met. Jack was referring to his service as a member of the AFL, American Football League, and then a member of the AFC, where he gained the respect of his teammates no matter what their color.

As a candidate for Vice President of the United States, Jack became one of the very few people in the history of the United States to run for that office who had been the founder of a union and president of a union. He helped found the AFL Players' Association and worked with John Mackey, who was the president of the NFL Players' Association, to try and make more equal the bargaining position of players versus the owners and the league. Jack took great pride in that.

But more than anything else, Jack Kemp was a family man. His family never came second to him in anything he did. He told me one time that he was trying to inspire his children and he would leave notes on their pillows at night. One of the notes he would write would say ``be a leader.'' I took that as an example for myself, and as my children were growing up, I would say to them as they went to bed ``be a leader'' or sometimes leave them a note that said that. That was something I got from Jack Kemp.

Jack was also a man of the House. If you listened to him in various settings, he would repeat that phrase. I remember it very well when I was privileged to be among those in the crowd in the Cannon caucus room when Jack launched his ultimately unsuccessful but nonetheless inspirational race for President of the United States. As he bid the House good-bye, he said, ``I may be leaving the House, but I will for the rest of my life be a man of the House.'' And I believe he was to the very marrow of his bone, to his last breath.

Jack loved this House. He understood what this House represented. He understood that this place is, yes, an institution for the people of America. But he understood that it was populated by human beings. He understood that politics was not only policy, but it was people. He understood that in order to make a compromise, you had to know the person across the aisle. You had to have some empathy for them and the lives they lived and the families they had. And in a very real sense, Jack elevated this House because he understood the foundations of this House.

Jack, yes, became famous for his enunciation of the principles that underlie supply-side economics, but it was much more than that. If you knew Jack, you knew it wasn't about the theory, as the impact of the theory.

Jack believed fundamentally that in order to help our neighbor, we had to respect our neighbor. In order to try and bring people up from their bootstraps, you had to recognize their basic humanity. He understood that government, yes, stands for the purpose of helping people, but we needed to help people help themselves.

If you look at his ideas, his thoughts, his work on enterprise zones, it was rooted not in political philosophy; it was rooted in his love of his fellow man. He actually believed every single person was in the image of God. He actually believed that, whether you were black or white or Hispanic, whatever you were, you were of equal value in the sight of God, and that was Jack Kemp to the core.

So if you listened to him argue on the floor, he would implicitly and explicitly articulate the vision that every single person was worthy. And that motivated his philosophy and that motivated his debate and that motivated the bills that he supported on the floor.

He was for enterprise zones because he thought that you could unleash the power of the individual. He thought that one way of elevating the downtrodden in our society was to give them opportunity. He believed in opportunity. He thought he was the embodiment of opportunity, and he wanted to extend opportunity to every single person in this society.

Jack was an inspiration to those who knew him. He wasn't perfect; he would tell you that. Sometimes he acted like a quarterback and you would have to tell him that we weren't in a huddle. And thank God for his wife, Joanne, because Joanne could tell him there wasn't a huddle going on, and he would get that half-crooked smile on his face and he would chuckle and listen. And he would incorporate your ideas and he would always be welcoming of them; and sometimes later you would hear him talking and you would hear one of your ideas being expressed by Jack Kemp in that vibrant way.

Mr. Speaker, you might get the idea that I thought a lot of my friend Jack Kemp, because I did. But it was more than just friendship; it was brotherhood. This place is a better place because Jack served here. This place would be a better place if we had more Jack Kemps here. This place is a greater institution because of his service here, and we will be an even greater institution if we don't just memorialize him, but we embody many of the traits that he brought forth to this floor.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) 30 seconds.

(Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the Republican leader, the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to someone who had the privilege of serving with Jack Kemp on his staff, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

(Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield the gentleman 20 additional seconds.

I yield an additional 2 minutes to that, please.

(Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman, Mr. Smith from New Jersey, who served with Jack Kemp.

Mr. Speaker, could you tell me the balance of time on each side?

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for extending the time on this. This is a valuable person, a valuable time, and I thank you.

At this time, I would extend 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Mr. Speaker, do you see what I say? When you talk about Jack Kemp, you start smiling.

At this time, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) who also served with Jack.

I yield 30 additional seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).

(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I would like to close. Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.

Mr. Speaker, let's make one thing clear, Jack is becoming a greater and greater quarterback the more we speak. He threw a lot of interceptions, and he would be the first to admit it here.

As I said before, he is my friend. He was my great friend. He was my mentor. I used to kid him and say he was one of my childhood heroes, which would kind of drive him crazy, but it was true that I first got to know of Jack Kemp when he was a young quarterback with the then Los Angeles Chargers.

But I really got to know him in this place and thereafter. I got to know his family; Joanne--no better person you could meet; his children, Judith, Jennifer, Jeff--and in the resolution it says James, I know him by Jimmy. When Jimmy joined the Canadian Football League team that was actually located in Sacramento, Jack and Joanne called and said, we don't know anybody else in Sacramento, would you take Jimmy in? So Jimmy stayed with us for a number of weeks while he started his professional football career.

Jack was the ever-vigilant father. He had his ideas. Jimmy said not too long ago, as Jack was in some of his toughest times and was unable to talk, he said, ``We've established a new relationship with dad; he has to listen to us now.''

On the last chance I had to talk with Jack shortly before Christmas, we had a great discussion. And we talked a little bit about Christmas and about where we were going. And Jack said that we were family, but there are so many people that could say that. I say that Jack is one of my best friends, but I met a large group that could say that because once you met Jack, you were his friend forever.

I said before and I will say it again; there may be somebody out there who didn't like Jack Kemp, but there is no one in this world Jack Kemp did not like. That makes all the difference in the world, particularly when you're in this tough business called politics. When you understand someone who loves you because you are another son or daughter of God, you understand what it is like to be a true American. Jack was a true American.

Jack was someone who inspired, who led, at times infuriated, but all the time loved. He is someone who will always remain in the memory of those who knew him. He is someone who believed in those words inscribed above your head, Mr. Speaker, ``In God We Trust.'' He did trust in his God. He trusted in his family. He trusted in his country. We will miss him. I know that God is embracing him now as Jack looks down on the work we do.

God bless you, Jack. And God bless this country.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to come to the floor in support of House Resolution 401, honoring the life and recognizing the far-reaching accomplishments of the Honorable Jack Kemp, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I have a real fancy speech here, and I would like to have it included in the Record in its entirety because I am just going to wing it.

Jack Kemp was my hero who became my friend. I had the great privilege of serving as House Republican Conference chairman in the role he held when he left this body to run for President of the United States of America. Some people have accused me from time to time of actually dying my hair to look more like Jack Kemp, and he liked that line.

He was a great man. He stood for all the things that I believe in. In keeping with Congressman Artur Davis's sentiments expressed, I just thought I might rise and tell you a story about Jack, about who he really was.

He came to Indianapolis for me about a year and a half ago, Mr. Speaker. And I knew that when you bring Jack in for an event, you don't just meet with the local political people, you have got to go into the inner city, you have got to meet with the underserved community. So I took him down to a place called The Lord's Pantry, a soup kitchen in inner-city Indianapolis run by a now-deceased black pastor by the name of Lucius Newson.

And there we were, we walked into this little food pantry, and there was Jack Kemp, former quarterback, former candidate for President, former Secretary of HUD, whips off his jacket, rolls his sleeves up, and he regaled the poorest of the poor with his vision for entrepreneurial capitalism and the American Dream. And they loved him.

And then at the very end of that, Pastor Newson looks at him--this wonderful, inner-city black pastor, and he said, Mr. Kemp, I know you're a wealthy man, so I am not going to let you leave without asking you for money for a women's shelter we are trying to build down the street. I didn't know how Jack would respond to that because I didn't know him as well as people like Dan Lungren. Not only did Jack pledge help right there on the spot, got a check out--they have a copy of it now up on the wall--Jack Kemp said to him, not only am I going to give money to that cause, but I am going to grab my friend, Mike Pence here, and I am going to grab Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and Archie Manning, and we are going to come back here next summer and we are going to have a fundraiser and raise all the money you need to build that women's shelter. And doggone it if Jack Kemp didn't call me every 2 weeks for the next 3 months to make sure we set up that banquet. And that black pastor would die a month after that banquet took place, but it raised every penny they needed to build that shelter and Jack Kemp was there and Tony Dungy was there and hundreds of Hoosiers gathered and saw this good and decent man stand with people at the point of a need, which is where his heart was.

He called himself a ``bleeding heart'' conservative, and that is that to which I aspire as well. You know, I told Jack one time I could never imagine a future in America where Jack Kemp wasn't eventually President of the United States. And he looked at me and smiled and said he appreciated it. But you know, Mr. Speaker, I think maybe I was aiming too low. You know, sometimes there are giants among us, names like Benjamin Franklin; Booker T. Washington; in England, William Wilberforce. They are men who never held the highest office in the land, but they shaped their times by moral persuasion and political activism. Jack Kemp was such a man.

Our hearts are broken, but our gratitude is boundless. Our prayers go out to Joanne and his entire family--which really extends to the millions if you knew the man. The depth this Nation owes Jack Kemp can only be repaid by imitation of his example.

I will always be proud to have known this good and great man. And I will always, first and foremost, refer to myself as a ``Jack Kemp Republican.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 401, honoring the life and recognizing the farreaching accomplishments of the Honorable Jack Kemp, Jr. Along with millions of Americans, my family and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jack Kemp. Jack Kemp was a hero who became my friend and I will miss him dearly.

Jack Kemp was a great man whose character, optimism and compassion will shape his party and his nation for generations.

As a legislator and a thought leader, Jack Kemp shaped a rising generation of leaders in both parties with his ideas about entrepreneurial capitalism, enterprise zones and equality. Those ideals were the driving force behind the economies policies of President Ronald Reagan and the welfare reform of the Republican Congress.

His optimistic belief in American dream--in the power of free markets and entrepreneurial capitalism--was a lodestar to millions of Americans. His devotion to ensuring equality of opportunity for every American regardless

of race, creed or color helped ground the Republican Party in the true ideals of Lincoln. His integrity and personal Christian faith showed his colleagues how to build a career in public service without compromising the people and the values that matter most.

Speaking to the Concerned Women for America in 1993--a time when Republicans were running scared and some spoke of deserting the ``social issues'' platform--Jack Kemp said: ``Every single year, there is a tragic silence of a million newborn cries that will never be heard. Talents that will never be developed. Potential that we will never see. Books never authorized. Inventions never made . . . The right to life is a gift of God, not a gift of the state. Abortion must never rest easy on the conscience of our nation.'' And Jack Kemp stood for the sanctity of life. Jack was a passionate advocate for life and the unborn of all races. His life and work had an enormous impact on U.S. foreign aid policy.

The Kemp-Kasten provision, which was in effect for more than two decades (first enacted in 1984 for the 1985 fiscal year), prohibits U.S. funding of any organization that ``supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntarily sterilization.'' Under this law, the United States cut off funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) starting in 2002 because, in the words of Colin Powell, ``UNFPA's support of, and involvement in, China's population-planning activities allows the Chinese government to implement more effectively its program of coercive abortion. Therefore, it is not permissible to continue funding UNFPA at this time.'' In 2008, the State Department again determined that UNFPA continued to support the Chinese population control program through financial support for the very Chinese agencies that enforce the policy.

Tragically, Kemp-Kasten was gutted in the recently passed Omnibus to allow funding to again flow to the UNFPA which can resume using taxpayer dollars to assist the Chinese government with their coercive population control program.

On occasion, there are giants among us--men like Benjamin Franklin and Booker T. Washinton--who never held the highest elective office in the land but shaped their times by strong moral persuasion and political activism. Jack Kemp was such a man.

Our hearts are broken but our gratitude is boundless. Our prayers go out to his beloved Joanne and his entire family. The debt this nation owes Jack Kemp can only be repaid by imitation of his example.

I will always be proud to have known this good and great man and I will always say that I am, first and foremost, a `Jack Kemp Republican.'

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

I rise in support of the resolution and offer my condolences to Joanne, their children, and their families. Jack Kemp was a good man, somebody who I admired, followed, and tried to emulate in many, many areas.

I would like to put two statements into the Record, one from the Weekly Standard that kind of spells out his life, and a eulogy by Chuck Colson who kind of sums Jack up better than anybody. Well done, our good and faithful servant. God bless Jack Kemp.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of our former colleague Jack Kemp. Like so many, I was deeply saddened to learn of Jack's passing this past weekend.

I had the privilege and honor of serving in the House with Jack for eight years. He was one of the most genuinely optimistic and engaging persons I have ever known. He saw the best in people and believed with all his heart that every person on this earth deserved to be treated with dignity and respect. His work for human rights influenced me deeply.

To his wife Joanne, his children and grandchildren, I send my heartfelt sympathy. In Jack's memory, I say, ``Well done, good and faithful servant.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask that a column from the Weekly Standard by Mary Brunette Cannon as well as a BreakPoint commentary by Chuck Colson about Jack's life be inserted in the Record.

[From BreakPoint Commentaries, May 6, 2009]

My Friend Jack Kemp

(By Chuck Colson)

A Man of Virtue

My friend Jack Kemp died this past weekend at 73.

His obituaries list many accomplishments: seven-time all-

star quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and the American

Football League's most valuable player in 1965. Eight-term

congressman from Buffalo, New York, Secretary of Housing and

Urban Development, and the 1996 Republican vice-presidential

candidate.

As our mutual friend Fred Barnes wrote in the Weekly

Standard, it's hard to think of any congressman in recent

memory who accomplished more, setting the stage for the

Reagan Revolution and economic opportunity for all Americans.

But as remarkable as Jack's accomplishments were, Jack the

man was even more so. He personified all of the classic

virtues--temperance, prudence, courage, and justice. But

today I want to focus on one especially--courage.

Jack was indomitable. ``Too small'' to play college

football, never mind professional ball. He was cut five times

before sticking with the Chargers. He became a star despite

often playing hurt. He suffered a dozen concussions over his

career, two broken ankles, and a crushed hand.

Courage also marked his life after football. While he

didn't hesitate to describe himself as a conservative

Republican, many conservative Republicans were hesitant to

call him one of their own. That's because his sense of

justice sometimes put him at odds with his own party.

While much of the party was winning over white Democrats in

the South, Jack was embracing civil rights. Whereas many

Republicans saw labor unions as the ``enemy,'' Jack, a co-

founder and five-time president of the AFL Players'

Association, fought hard for the interests of working

Americans.

Then, in 1994, when the GOP in his native California

appealed to fears about illegal immigration, Jack opposed

them. That cost him dearly with the national party. Many

split ways with him at that point.

Jack might well have been President--and would have been a

great one--were it not for two things: He would never

compromise his convictions, nor would he attack his

opponents. Sadly, it's hard to resist those things and still

get to the White House.

His courage was on display to the very end. During the

times I visited him over the last months of his life, I was

taken by how he kept his spirit up even as the cancer

devastated his body.

Jack was a giant in our midst. He had a heart for the same

kind of people Prison Fellowship serves--the poor, the

oppressed, and the downtrodden. His wife, Joanne, has been a

board member at Prison Fellowship for many years.

He also shared our Christian commitment to human life,

telling the New York Times how a personal tragedy made him

``more aware of the sanctity of human life, [and] how

precious every child is.''

This and more is why Jack's death is such a great loss to

me personally. Joanne and his four beautiful children--all

Christians--are in my prayers. How proud of them Jack was.

This family's Christian witness has touched countless lives.

I've been humbled by being asked to give the eulogy at the

National Cathedral this Friday. What a privilege to celebrate

a life so richly lived in service to his Lord and nation. I

thank God for my friend, whom I and a grieving nation will

sorely miss.

I did something I rarely do and that is ask to go before the previous speakers that were here, only because I wanted some continuity in the remarks of my friend from California about my friend, Jack Kemp. I know that other people have other things to say about Jack, but I think my remarks are more consistent with yours, and so I asked my colleagues to forgive me for asking for this courtesy.

When the minority leader asked me to join on a resolution for Jack Kemp, me being for good cause suspicious, I just said yes because I knew that in my worst possible dreams if they wanted to distort something to catch me up in a political thing, that they couldn't do it with Jack Kemp because Jack Kemp defies the political persuasion which our House finds itself in today with how we treat each other, how we lose respect for each other, and how the party vote seems sometimes more important than what we are going to tell our kids what contribution we made to this great body.

I was moved by what you said in terms of things that I don't normally think about, but when you said he really believed it was a religious, it was a spiritual thing, I take a look at and wonder if Jack was with us today, what would he really disagree with us about. Sure, we would have some problems in the tax system. We would have some problems believing that the free market system was going to remove so many of the problems that we face. And I get so sick and tired of people of the other persuasion saying that they are colorblind. Of course, when Bill Archer said it, I found out he really was colorblind.

But as a political statement, I can tell you that the things that I was privileged to work with Jack Kemp on were for people who were the lesser of our brothers and sisters, period. And they come in all different colors. That is what the empowerment zone was all about. It was not looking for Republicans or conservatives or blacks and whites. It was in this country, everyone should have an opportunity to

dream and achieve. And every time he had a chance, he would make it abundantly clear.

What would the Republicans say today if he was running for Vice President and had his initial visit in Harlem U.S.A., in my congressional district? And who was there but me saying: he's a heck of a good guy. I just don't believe he and Dole are going to win.

Jack Kemp had a constituency when he was Secretary of HUD. I don't care what Republicans or Democrats want to say, if you were living in public housing, you knew that the Secretary of HUD was your friend.

I would just like to conclude by saying that he was snatched away so early. When you are 79, you think 73 is early. But I never saw him that he didn't ask about my wife, about my kids. And of course if you ever saw a Christmas card from Jack Kemp and looked at him and Joanne and looked at his father and then read his biography, you would know that he was a quarterback for justice, and no matter what the cause, what your color, what your religion, if in this country you thought there was hope for you to succeed, the guy you should have seen was Jack Kemp.

I hope that all of us would have a little bit of Kemp in us. During these difficult times, it is hard to get along; but if you can remember that maybe one day when you leave you will see people of all persuasions, of all parties saying you are a decent person, Jack Kemp has set an example for all of us.