Senate Proceeding on Oct 28th, 2009 :: 5:07:25 to 5:09:45
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5:07:08 to 5:07:28( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: and i yield the floor. mr. alexand: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: mr. president, i enjoyed the comments of the distinguished senator from rhode island. he's one of the most thoughtful and intelligent members of the senate. i always enj but i have a different characterization of what we're doing here in the senate. he pointed out that the majority

5:07:25 to 5:09:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Lamar Alexander

5:07:29 to 5:07:49( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: leader felt it necessary to cut off debate 82 times. that was a record. yoibled a be bragging about that. i mean, this is the united states -- i don't believe i'd be bragging about that. i mean, this is the united states senate. what that means is that the majority leader has said to the minority, be quiet. don't debate. we don't want your amendments -- 82 times. the house of representatives is the place where we have the

5:07:50 to 5:08:11( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: train that runs through, according to the majority. that's not the united states senate. senator byrd, the senior democrat, the senior senator, has written four big volumes about the his and what is unique about the united states senate that our founders have said -- ey said, we'll have one popular man where

5:08:12 to 5:08:33( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: one m, one vote, one woman, one vote and whoever has the majority, the train runs through. so whatever speaker pelosi wants, speaker pelosi gets. that was the view of the foders more than two centuries ago. but the we're goi to have a little bit different united states senate. and you know what the idea of the founders was? the founders who we revere and admire?

5:08:34 to 5:08:55( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: unlimited debate, unlimited eements. that's the -- unlamen limited debate, unlimited amendment. there's no need for the united states senate if we don't have that. when alexis de tocqueville came to this country in the 1830's and wandered around our

5:08:56 to 5:09:17( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: tion and wrote that th that perceptive book "democracy in america" ich every student of the american constitution in our country discovers, he saw one ing that he worried most about, the new american democracy. and it was, in his words, the tyranny of the majority -- the tirnie of the majority. he said that the united states senate was the one institution

5:09:18 to 5:09:39( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: which helped work against the tyranny of the majority. so this is the body that protects the minority view. now, it does slow things down. in the case we're talking about, unemployment compensation. we've already voted to limit debate on unemployment compensation. that's what we're talking about today.

5:09:40 to 5:09:45( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: i see the republican whip on the floor. circle the vote to limit debate