Senate Proceeding on Sep 10th, 2009 :: 2:16:00 to 2:29:00
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2:15:51 to 2:16:12( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: thank all o have taken time to km here to the floor to speak behalf of our great friend and colleague, senator ted kennedy. i particularly enjoyed these remarks by the distinguished senator from vermont, served with him for many years. i only served 33 years with ted.

2:16:00 to 2:29:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Orrin Hatch

2:16:13 to 2:16:34( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i just want to thank them for their remarks and for the reverence that most everybody has had for our departed colleague. i rise today to offer my remarks on the passing of my dear friend and colleague, senator ted kennedy. over this pat past recess, america lost one of its greates leaders and this chamber lost one of its most dynamic and important members.

2:16:35 to 2:16:55( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i mourn the loss not only of a respected colleague but of a dear personal friend, think i speak for all colleagues when i say that senator will be missed and the senate is a lesser place without him here. people have often the working relationship i had with senator kennedy, oftentimes

2:16:56 to 2:17:16( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: calling us the -- quote -- "odd couple" -- unquote. we used to laugh about that, but the truth be told, he and i really didn't agree on a lot of things many over the years senator kennedy and i were on opposite sides of some of the fearest battles in this chamber's history. while we have been long good friends, we didn't pull any punches on one another. if we were opposing each other

2:17:17 to 2:17:37( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: in the debate, senator kennedy would come to the floor and in his classic style he'd lay into me with his voice raised and he ha arms flailing. and of course i'd let him have it right back. but then after he'd finish, he'd finally come over and put his arm around me and say, "how was that?"

2:17:38 to 2:17:59( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: well, i would always laugh about it, as we did. we laughed at each other all the time. now that's what set senator kennedy apart from many here in washington. for him, politics rarely got personal. he was never afraid to voice his disagreement with the views of a fellow senator, but in the end i believe he always maintain add

2:18:00 to 2:18:21( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: warm and cordial relationship with almost every one of his colleagues. that's difficult to do sometimes, particularly when partisan tempers flare up. but it always seemed to come easy for senator kennedy. despite our tendency to disagree on almost evething, senator kennedy and i were able to reach common ground on the one hand many important occasions. and on many important issues.

2:18:22 to 2:18:42( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: as i mentioned at the recent memorial service, one of my defining moments as a senator families from provo, utah. the parents in these families were humble and hard-working and were able to provide food and clothing for their children and shelter for their children. but the one necessity they couldn't afford was health insurance. their children were children of

2:18:43 to 2:19:05( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: the working poor. the struggles of this family touched me and inspired me to work with senator kennedy to create the schip program which continues to provide health care coverage to millions of children of the working poor and others throughout the country and with passed with broad bipartisan support. over the years senator kennedy

2:19:06 to 2:19:27( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and i wer worked successfully to get both republicans and democrats on board for a number of causes. we drafted a number of pieces of legislation that provide assistance to aids victims, including the ryan white aids act. i named that the floor with mrs. white sitting in the audience. we worked together along with senator harkin to create and pass the americans with

2:19:28 to 2:19:49( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: disabilities act as well as the f.d.a. modernization act as a whole raft of other bills that would take too many time topeak about all of which were bearing the hatch-kennedy, kennedy-hatch name. our final collaboration came just this year in the form of the edward m. condition did i

2:19:50 to 2:20:12( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: "serve america" act which i was pleased to name after senator kennedy. right here on the floor, and he came up afterwards and w hugged each other and then we went back to the president's room and he had pictures, even though he wasn't feeling well. just so many pictures with so many people who were involved. all of our bills passed because of the willingness of senator kennedy and myself to put

2:20:13 to 2:20:35( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: consensus ahead of partisanship, something we see far too infrequently here in washington. it is axiomatic in politics that timing is crucial. no one understood or practiced that pri senator knedy. he had a sixth sense and an open mind to notice when the time was right for the key compromise.

2:20:36 to 2:20:58( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: he knew when it let and when it was time to close the deal. more importantly, he knew what he stew shoo stick to his guns and when he needed to reach across the aisle to get represent of his republican colleagues. he was always able to recognize and workhose who share goals. i'll never forget, after i had

2:20:59 to 2:21:20( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: made the deciding voted on civil rights for institutionalized persons, it was a hatch bill. later came the voting rights act. and i thought very strongly not to put the effects test in section 2. i didn't have any problem with it being in section 5 but

2:21:21 to 2:21:42( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: didn't want it in section 2, so that it applied too all other states. i lost in committee. i voted for the bill out of committee because i consider the voting rights act the most important civil rights bill in history. the day they were going to go down a down at the white house, he caught me right inside the russell building where we both

2:21:43 to 2:22:04( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: had offices and said, you're coming with us, aren't you? i said, well -- i was of course against the change you were very helpful in helping to get that bill passed. and i know how deeply you feel about t so i d i went down with him. and i wouldn't have gone had it not been for senator kennedy recognizing that i did feel

2:22:05 to 2:22:26( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: deeply about the voting rights act. an thought it was a pivotal constitutional point, the fact of the matter is i voted for the bill. now, at the risk of rallying my more liberal colleagues near in the sene, i would like to point utah that senator kennedy shared an utterly optimistic view of the american experiment with president ronald reagan. they both deeply believed that

2:22:27 to 2:22:48( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: whatever the current trial challenges we must face as a nation, america's best days are ahead of her. that's something that many people do not enough about senator kennedy because of his optimism for our nation's future, senator kennedy was, throughout his career in the senate, a great practioner of the latin motto

2:22:49 to 2:23:09( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: carpe diem, "seizehe day. few worked harder throughout the day than ted kennedy and as a result every senator had to w a little bit harder either t follow his lead if you were on the same side of an issue, or stand in his way, if you were his opposition. i've been on both positions. i'm nolt saying that i was inherently difficult towork with senato

2:23:10 to 2:23:30( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: but as anyone who has negotiated a tough piece of legislation can till, it can be sheer drudgery, even when you agree issues. but senator kennedy brought a sense of joy to even the most contentious negotiating sessions. and when you were working with senator kennedy, you knew that he'd keep his word. if, after these long sessions,

2:23:31 to 2:23:51( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: an agreement was reached, he'd stick by it, no matter how much heat he'd have to take. all of this was no doubt the result of his love for this great institution and commitment to the american people. political differences notwithstanding, there can never be any doubt about senator kennedy's

2:23:52 to 2:24:13( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: presence in the senate as large senator more often than not, you could hear him coming down the hall, a mini hurricane, with a batch of amendments in one hand and a stack of talkingpoints in the other. he was almost always effective but seldom very quiet. i also wanted to share -- i want

2:24:14 to 2:24:34( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: to share a few thoughts about his staff. while at the end of the day the full responsibility of the senate falls squarely upon the shoulders of each senator, it is also true that during the day and often long into the night and on many weekends much of the work of the snaft is conducted by a group of the most committed

2:24:35 to 2:24:55( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: team of staff workers of any throughout his career, it was known that the kennedy staff was comprised of one of the most formidable and dedicated collections of individuals in the senate, many of them going on to have distinguished careers, including stephen bryan.

2:24:56 to 2:25:16( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: dr. larry horowitz who managed his health car end and loved ted dupely, rick littlefield who ran the labor committee for senator kennedy, was an advisor right up until the time senator kennedy passed away. and of course michael meyers, just to name four with no intention of leaving out all others. senator kennedy would be the

2:25:17 to 2:25:38( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: first to recognize how their efforts contributed success. i want to salute them for their ha work over the years. i cannot exactly say that i have always been totally pleased with all of the kennedy staff all of the time, but as is true of their boss -- or was true of their boss, while we might have been frequent adversaries, we were never enemies.

2:25:39 to 2:26:00( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: madam president, i'm saddened by the loss of my dear friend, senator kennedy. i will miss him personally. i will miss t fights in public. i will miss his sense of humor in private and public, and perhaps more significantly, i believe this chamber will miss his talents as a legislator.

2:26:01 to 2:26:22( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and most of all, his leadership. while i more of my colleagues will adopt his views on policy, i hope that morph us can adopt his approach to the legislative process. i was there in california giving a speech at a fund-raiser when they came in with a cell phone

2:26:23 to 2:26:43( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and said, senat kennedy is on the line, and he sounds very agitated. so i went out on the plaza, i said, "ted, what's the matter?" he said, "oh, i have great news for you." he said -- h i said, what's that?

2:26:44 to 2:27:05( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: he said, i'm going to get married again. i said, do i know her? he said, no, b her. she has two wonderful children. i am going to adopt them and treat them as my own. and well, ted, why would you call me in california? he said, well, her daughter was bragging to her elementary school teacher at that time that

2:27:06 to 2:27:26( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: her mother was going to mayor ted kennedy. and the elementary school teacher was married to a "washington post" reporter. i wanted you to be one of the first to know. i am very happy i'm going to marry vicky i've come to know vicky very,

2:27:27 to 2:27:48( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: very much. she sha's made such in his life and in his family's life. she's a tremendous human being. as are his children, their terrific. i was happy to be in the catholic church where teddy went

2:27:49 to 2:28:13( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: to pray for his daughter every day he could when she was suffering from cancer. i know how deeply he feels about patrick and teddy jr. i thought they did a terrific job at the mass at his funeral. he's got to beery, very proud of them.

2:28:14 to 2:28:35( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i think vicky kennedy deserves an awful lot of credit for all of the later happy years of my friend ted kennedy. and i want her to kno love her dearly for what she did and as an individual herself, and i love ted kennedy's entire family.

2:28:36 to 2:28:57( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: a number of at tim help them because he couldn't as a member of the fam now, i have to say, i was close to a great number of the members of his family, and i really, really appreciate them as well, and the influence that they had on him and he had on them. he had a great influence on me as well.

2:28:58 to 2:29:02( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i just want to personally thank him for it and say to my dear