United States Association Of Former Members Of Congress 2009 Annual Report To Congress

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HOYER. Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker. You know Bob Michel was my Speaker. You've heard my story on going up to Ray LaHood and saying, Ray--this is 1995, John--and I said to Ray, who was presiding--you know, Ray presided a lot and was an excellent presiding officer. I went up to him and told him--we had about 197 votes at that point in time. I said, you know, I'll get you 197, you get 21 and we'll elect Bob Michel the Speaker. He smiled. It probably crossed his mind that that was a worthwhile endeavor but maybe he couldn't get there.

But in any event, it's always a pleasure to be with Bob Michel and all of you; my former colleague in the Maryland delegation, Connie Morella, who is one of your officers in this organization; John Rhodes, with whom I served. John, thank you very much for the great service you gave to this country and that your father gave to this country and that you continue to give to this country. We're blessed by that. And all of you with whom I have served over the years. As a matter of fact, most of the people as I look around here, it was a great pleasure to serve with you. Marty Russo, of course, I served with him as well and that was a little more of a trial.

Marty played golf yesterday. Dennis, he's really feeling badly. He shot six under par and he didn't win. He thinks it was fixed that the former Members were not allowed to win the tournament. He said, you know, what was the worth of playing in it.

I'm very pleased to be here with you. I try to join you every year. Your ranks seem a little smaller this year than they have in years past. Maybe some folks will be coming in.

I rose on the floor about 3 or 4 weeks ago just before the Memorial break and said, Look, when we come back, we're going to be more timely in the counting of the votes. We're going to try to keep the votes down to somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minutes as opposed to, they were getting to average 25 minutes, which was, you do that over 10, 15, 20 votes over the course of a day, it really extends the day. The chairmen were having people waiting in their committees. We're struggling to get there. If I close it out--Alexis Covey-Brandt--Alexis, wave--she is now our floor director. And then sitting next to Alexis is someone I think probably all of you know, she is the granddaughter of a great American, a great Representative in this House, the former Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, Catlin O'Neill, who represents the Speaker on the floor and helps manage the floor. We're pleased to be here with you.

Dennis, you were very kind about reaching out in a bipartisan way. I lament the fact that when Bob Michel was here, we had reaching out more in a bipartisan fashion because both sides I think were inclined to do so. We had more golf tournaments, Bob, and we played more and spent more time with one another. I played golf yesterday with John Boehner. I drove the cart. He rode along. He scored well. I tried to stay in the hunt. John and I talked about trying to work things in a more bipartisan fashion, but very frankly as all of you have observed, the confrontation continues in a somewhat strident tone too often in this House. That was not so early on when I came here but frankly almost every decade it has escalated and that's unfortunate.

But, on the other hand, I think Dennis is right. This may be the most productive 5 months that I've spent in the House. I don't mean that we haven't had other productive times--we have--but the agenda that we confronted as we took over at a time of crisis, with a brand new President, an historic President. 2008, an historic year. I think all of us are pleased that we were alive to watch what America did in 2008. I thought John McCain's best speech of the campaign was the night he lost. It was not only a gracious speech but it was a speech that tried to bring the country together in support of our newly elected President, and I thought it showed John McCain at his very best. Obama gave a speech that showed him at his very best. And frankly I think George Bush the next day, on Wednesday, gave a brief speech which showed him at his very best. And the three of them together showed America at its very best.

I tell people that one of the proudest days of my service in the House of Representatives and of my country was on the day that was one of my most disappointing. And that, of course, was January 20, 2001, when my side clearly thought it had won the election, had received a half a million more American votes than our opponent, George Bush, but notwithstanding that, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court of the United States had brought the election to a close. And so as we sat there on the podium, I was about 10 feet from Bill Clinton, about 15 feet from George Bush, and within minutes--and it happened in seconds as you know--within minutes, the most power in one person that exists on the face of the Earth was passed peacefully, notwithstanding the extraordinary concerns that the then-incumbent President of the United States, who had that power in his grasp--it was in his grasp--notwithstanding that, he released it peacefully, without a shot being fired, without demonstrations in the streets on that day, and America showed the world once again that it was a nation of laws.

That was a proud day, I think, for all of us, a wrenching day for those of us who were on the losing side on that day but a proud day for our country. All of us in this Chamber have had the opportunity to serve in the people's House, the repository of that power to make the laws that govern, not of men but of laws.

And so I always take the opportunity to thank all of you. And we lament the fact that we've lost--I'm not sure how many people we've lost. John, I am sure there will be a recitation of that and a remembrance of those we've lost. But one person with whom I had the opportunity and I think most of you had the opportunity to serve, we lost. In doing so, we lost a great spirit, not just a great former Member of the Congress. I'm not going to read all of it but I remember him quoting Teddy Roosevelt on a relatively regular basis. I've got the whole quote, but I'm just going to read you a few lines of it:

``It is not the critic who counts;

not the man who points out

how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds

could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man

who is actually in the arena.''

I choose like I choose ``all men are created equal'' to consider ``man'' in that sense generic--for human beings.

It goes on to say:

``The credit belongs to the man

who is actually in the arena.''

And then it concludes:

``Who at the best knows in the end

the triumph of high achievement,

and who at the worst, if he fails,

at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be

with those cold and timid souls

who neither know victory nor defeat.''

All of us got in the arena. We put our egos on the line. Sometimes those egos can be severely bruised in this business internally and certainly externally. But we got in the arena because we knew that that is where you could make a difference, for the people that were your neighbors, for your family and for your country. And for that, I think Americans honor each and every one of you, and I thank you for having learned from you, been impressed by you, using in many cases you as an example of how we ought to work together.

It's easier when you get out of Congress, I think, to adopt that premise, because you then look not so much on the differences but on the similarities. Far too often as human beings we look at the differences, that which divides us, as opposed to that which brings us together, the values that we have in common.

John, before you came in, I mentioned the fact that you and I played golf together. We had a great time. We spent 4 or 5 hours riding around the course together, enjoying one another, learning from one another. John's really a student of golf. He was helping me be a little better than normally I am. But we need to learn from those experiences and learn from people like Bob Michel, who lived life in Congress teaching all of us that.

So I thank you for staying active, keeping the faith, providing ongoing examples that simply being elected is not the only way to serve. You continue to serve in so many positive roles. I know on behalf of the Speaker, I know John will speak for himself, we welcome you back to this Chamber which meant so much in your lives and to which you meant so much in your service.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

You know, I read that and of course I hope all of you know the person I was referring to was Jack Kemp--who reflected, I think, John--I served with Jack on the Appropriations Committee for a significant period of time, and Jack always had that positive spirit, that hand reached out to include rather than to exclude. We miss Jack Kemp. He was a great servant in this House and a great servant of his party and a great servant of his country.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source