Retiring From the Senate
RETIRING FROM THE SENATE -- (Senate - September 27, 2006)
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it took an act of courage for Jim Jeffords to declare himself an Independent. It took an act of courage for a lifelong Red Sox fan to quote a New York Yankee in his farewell address to the Senate.
Jim Jeffords is an extraordinary public servant. Fewer than 2,000 men and women in the history of the United States of America have served in the Senate. We all understand the great privilege of being in this body representing our great States. But people are not noted in the history of the Senate for longevity alone. People are noted for singular acts of courage. And when it comes to Jim Jeffords, his public career has been a singular act of courage.
I hail from the State of Abraham Lincoln, where he lived most of his adult life, and where we claimed him as part of our national heritage. When I think of Jim Jeffords and the political party he identifies with more than any other name, I will say he identifies with the party of that great leader Abraham Lincoln who stood up for principles often against public and popular will.
This last week, Time Magazine noted they were going to designate Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont as ``Person of the Week.'' They said in his one principled decision to become an Independent, ``He demonstrated to the White House and the United States Senate that revolutionaries often come in surprising packages.''
We all know what happened after Jim made his decision to become an Independent. He told me about walking home to his apartment at night down Pennsylvania Avenue. And people who were outside restaurants and cafes would stop and stand and start to applaud, and Jim would be startled by it at first. But he received more recognition then he, I am sure, expected. A lot of it came in positive terms; some in negative terms. People wanted to name their babies after him.
In Burlington, VT--I think this is probably the greatest tribute a politician could ever expect--they named a beer after him--``Jeezum Jim'' they called it. I hope it was a popular brew because he has been a popular Senator.
When they asked him why he changed his affiliation to become an Independent, he replied very simply: ``It is all about education.'' I remember it well, because I know that was the deciding factor.
Your commitment to particularly those students who struggled with disabilities, students who have these difficulties, your commitment to those kids led you to this decision. Many of us make these decisions on votes on the floor. But as has been said, for Jim Jeffords education went way beyond a vote or a speech.
Several years ago, he established this tutoring program in Washington, DC, encouraging us, as Members of Congress, the House and the Senate, to walk just a few blocks from here, as he did so many times, to tutor the inner-city youth of Washington, DC.
He is a true Vermonter and a true Independent. When we look at his record, he was the only House Republican who voted against the Reagan tax cut because he was afraid it would lead to dangerous deficits. How right he was. In 1993, he was the only Republican Senator to cosponsor President Clinton's health care plan. He worked for years for regulation of tobacco by the Food and Drug Administration, a goal which I share with the Senator. And he sponsored the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, banning employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Some politicians in their career find ways to divide us. Jim Jeffords always looked for ways to bring us together. A strong supporter of Federal funding for AIDS research and the arts, justifiably proud of the role he played in passing the Work Incentives Improvement Act, and, of course, his record on the environment is without parallel.
I know historians will also record all these accomplishments and courageous battles when they write about Jim Jeffords. On July 4, 2001, several weeks after he made his decision to become an Independent, he sat down at his home in Vermont and wrote these words:
I hope my decision will move the two parties to the center, where the American people are. The American people want an active, responsible, Federal Government.
He went on to say:
There seems to be a hunger in country for heroes, especially for the political variety.
Not only with this one historic act of conscience but throughout his career in the House and the Senate, in public life Jim Jeffords has been a living example of these hopes and beliefs. I am proud to have been able to serve with him. I am proud to count him as one of my colleagues, even prouder to count him as a friend.
I thank his family for giving him this opportunity to serve and giving this wonderful man to public life.
I thank you, Jim Jeffords, for all you have meant.
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