Mr. President, I have to begin today by saying one thing, that is, to God be the glory. I will finish with that too. But first let me say a few words. Since election night I have had many Arkansans come up to me and thank me for my…
Mr. President, I have to begin today by saying one thing, that is, to God be the glory. I will finish with that too. But first let me say a few words.
Since election night I have had many Arkansans come up to me and thank me for my service. I appreciate that. But I need to thank them for allowing me to do this for the last 12 years. It sounds like a cliche, but it is not. Serving in the Senate has been the greatest honor of my life. It truly has been. I have loved it. I have always done it with a cheerful heart. When I go back to my beloved Arkansas, I have to thank the people of Arkansas for allowing me to work for you. But I must confess I will miss waking up every morning and thinking, how can I make a difference for Arkansas and for America today? Those years were momentous in so many ways, for our country and for our world. I had a front-row seat to making history, and I hope I made a little bit of it myself.
On a personal level, those years were filled with family and friends, a remarkable staff, my Senate colleagues, and a whole series of rich, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The Lord has given me two wonderful children who are now in college. I know many of you all saw them for the first time when they were in elementary school. I am very proud, and their mother is very proud, of Adams and Porter Pryor. I am very excited about their future.
God has also brought an old sweetheart back into my life, Joi. She and I attended the sixth and seventh grades together. So when I say God has brought joy in my life, I mean it, literally.
Many of you know my parents. Of course, I would be nothing without them. Dave and Barbara Pryor have touched so many lives. They continue to do so.
For the last 8 years, I have lived with my brother David and Judith and Hampton Pryor in Washington, when I am here in Washington. I will always be grateful for their love and hospitality.
Scott and Diane and Devin Pryor in New York have been a great inspiration to me as well.
My staff is simply awesome. I love them all and they are all part of my family too. There are too many to mention, but words such as talent, commitment, public service, effectiveness, all come to mind whenever their names come up. I have said this many times about my staff, and they keep telling me not to say it, but I am going to say it one last time: They do 99 percent of the work and I get 99 percent of the credit. So I want to acknowledge them for a job well done. They should all hold their heads high for the difference they have made. I ask unanimous consent that a list of their names be printed in the Record.
My colleagues. What can I say about my colleagues that has not been said before? Or maybe I could say, what can I say about my colleagues that they have not said about themselves before?
You know, politics is about people; not just the people out there, but the people in here, the people the people elect. I have served with some greats and some giants. Robert C. Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Daniel Inouye, Ted Stevens are at the top of the list. But the truth is that every single Senator I have served with is a giant.
I have served with about 175 other Senators, so there are too many to single out. But I have made lifelong friendships here. We have done a lot of good things together. This is what I will remember: all the personalities, all the times when we came together to do the right thing, and all the successes we had together.
While in the Senate, I had more than 70 initiatives signed into law. Almost all of those have been bipartisan. I ask unanimous consent to have that list printed in the Record.
I do not do very many press conferences, as you all know, and I have always been first in line to work with any and all of my colleagues to try to get things done. The Senate is a special place. On a personal level, we talk about the Senate family. It is a family. When people mention the Senate to me, I think of other Senators, of course, and I think of legislation, but usually the first thing that comes to mind is the people who work here: the Parliamentarians, the clerks, the doormen, the Capitol Police. I am appreciative of the other Senators' staffs and the committee staffs, and even to my House colleagues--most of them, anyway. No, even to my House colleagues.
But I have always been mindful of the people who really make this place run: the janitorial staff, the folks in the restaurants, the maintenance guys, the painters, the carpenters, the tech people. The list goes on and on. All of them contribute to make the Senate what it is. We work here together. We go through life and budget cuts and changing political winds together. There is a bond we all feel because we all have been in the Senate together.
Please give me just a few moments of your time to make this next point. As great an institution as the Senate is, the Senate is broken. The American people know it. In fact, this is an area where the American people are way ahead of Washington. The people around our Nation look at Washington and they shake their heads. We sometimes cannot see the forest for the trees because we get bogged down in personalities or perceived wrongs or whatever the case may be.
This is not a Barack Obama problem, this is not a George Bush problem. In fact, all recent Presidents have gone through periods of deep unpopularity. This is an ``all of us'' problem. The political environment today grinds the trust and confidence out of our system. Let me tell you, that is not good for anybody.
The Republicans have a great opportunity in 2015 and 2016. They convinced the voters they are the party that can govern. Now it is time for them to turn off the rhetoric and turn on the governing. In the Senate, if the new Republican majority will run the Senate the way they have said it should be run, then this is a very good start. If we can replay the tape over the last 2 years, we will hear Republican Senators time and again clamor for an open amendment process and for regular order. They were caustic when the Democratic majority changed the rules--a change, by the way which I did not support. So let's change the rules back to what they were. Let's govern the way we know we ought to.
Democrats--this is an important message--Democrats should help the Republicans govern. The rules are not the problem around here. We are the problem, all 100 of us. Hyperpartisanship has gotten the best of us. When things get too partisan, good judgment and common sense go out the window. The biggest and most serious problem facing our Nation today is the dysfunction in our political system within Washington. America has incredible potential, but we cannot reach it unless Washington starts to work again for all of us. If we are to continue to be the greatest Nation on Earth, we must work together. That is, after all, the American way. That is our history. This country was created, this country was forged. The great melting pot is just that, a melting pot. E pluribus unum actually means something: Out of many, one. We have many differing viewpoints, many philosophies, many backgrounds, many priorities. So we have the pluribus part down pat. That is not the problem. No, the challenge comes with the unum.
From my perspective, I see the ultimate question as a question of loyalty. Who are we loyal to? I just mentioned that we have many different viewpoints, philosophies, and agendas. But if we have different loyalties, then we are a divided nation. That will only lead to bad things. When each of us takes our oath of office, we swear allegiance to the Constitution, not a party, nor a President, nor an interest group. We do not swear allegiance to those who pay for our campaigns or to a certain agenda. We need to hash out our differences in the Senate in committee and on the floor, then hash them out with the House, but at the end of the day, produce legislation. That is the essence of the legislative branch. We also must exert our authority as article I, the first branch of government.
We have checks and balances. We cannot provide the check or the balance if we are not functioning. Making this place function is part of our oath of office. One thing we should all remember: The Senate is bigger than we are. We do not have to look farther than our own desks to see that. Look inside your desk and you see the names written in the drawer. In my desk I see Senator Gronna, elected in 1911 from North Dakota. Names such as Everett Dirksen and George Mitchell, David Pryor, Joe Lieberman and Carl Levin--these men molded history. These are Senators who shaped world events. These Senators were good stewards of what our Founding Fathers created for us. We should be too, each and every one of us.
The Father of our Country had a lot to say about partisanship. In his Farewell Address, he warns us of the ``continual mischiefs'' and ``ill- founded jealousies'' caused by parties. We should take heed. It is the greatest mistake of our time to allow these prophesied mischiefs and jealousies to divide us and damage the American political character.
Abraham Lincoln once famously said, ``A house divided against itself cannot stand.'' That is so true. His voice is echoing down through the halls of history to us. If we are divided, we cannot stand. We will not stand a chance in the future. Let Lincoln's words be a clarion call to all Members of Congress. That includes all Senators.
Look at what is happening to us. The Congress is getting more liberal and more conservative. Look at the wild swings in regulations that have occurred from President Clinton to President Bush to President Obama. No wonder we are seeing a sluggish economic recovery.
Washington is creating uncertainty and instability. The private sector cannot make investments or take risks with confidence. It should be the opposite. The Federal Government should be fostering economic growth. This country needs Washington to function. That starts in this Chamber.
One thing I like to say in meetings is this: ``Don't just bring me the problem, bring me the solution.'' So I have identified a big problem here this afternoon. It is fair for you to ask about the solution. Regardless of your political philosophy, bipartisanship is the answer. Let's take off the red jersey and take off the blue jersey and let us all put on the red, white, and blue jersey. Our Nation's challenges, large and small, require us to get on the same team; that is team USA.
Remember, I mentioned Abraham Lincoln saying that, ``A house divided against itself cannot stand.'' Well, he was actually quoting an itinerant Jewish rabbi who said that about 2,000 years ago. Jesus was right then and He is right now. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Good government is good politics. Although there are short-term gains to be had by political division, the long-term consequences are bad for the country. It is time for the giants of the Senate to emerge. Jesus has offered us some advice. Probably the best practical advice of wisdom He left us here in the Congress is called the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we applied that around here, about
three-quarters of our problems would vanish. Poof.
Is that impossible? Not at all. Most of us claim to have a Judeo- Christian faith, so why not apply what we know to be true? The first step in this process is another one of Jesus's admonitions--forgive one another.
I know each Senator, from time to time, feels betrayed, let down, slighted, or somehow wronged. We need to forgive one another and let the healing begin.
I am not trying to combine religion and politics, but I think most everyone in the world agrees that Jesus is one of the greatest moral teachers of all time. He has a lot to say about how we should treat one another.
There are and there will be 100 Senators. Healing the Senate and getting it to function as it did for two centuries is up to each individual Senator. That means doing the right thing but also persuading others to do the right thing. It is not about us, it is about our country, our children, and our grandchildren. It is about being good stewards.
In closing, let me say I loved my time with you. I will always remember you with fondness and I will always be cheering for you. I expect great things from you because I know you are capable of doing great things. God bless the Senate and the work we do, and God bless the United States of America.
I yield the floor.
(Applause, Senators rising.)