January 31, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S177 Georgetown Law School, I was offered both in the House and the Senate. I am closure of those transactions that a job by the Lieutenant Governor of Il- glad he is going to continue at least on Members of Congress—in this case Sen- linois, . He asked if I would the research side to establish a body ators—engage in that might or could join his staff in Springfield, IL, in the precedent that will guide the Senate have some relationship to information State capital and if I would serve as his and the Congress in the years to come. they learned in their official capacity. senate parliamentarian. I jumped at Alan, thank you so much for all the I quickly add that this is a challenge the chance. I was in desperate need of service you have given to the Senate, because, honestly, in our work in the a job with a wife, a baby, and another to the Congress, and to the United Senate we are exposed to a spectrum of one on the way. States. information on virtually every topic. Deep in debt, I skipped my com- To Elizabeth MacDonough, congratu- People sit and talk to us, those in an mencement exercise to get out and on lations. It is great you will be coming official capacity and also unofficially, the payroll in Springfield of the Illi- into this new role. It is precedent-set- about the future of the European Com- nois State Senate. The first day I ting in and of itself that you will be munity, what will happen there, and if walked in on the job at the Lieutenant the first woman to serve as the U.S. the European economy goes down or Governor’s office they handed me the Senate Parliamentarian. We all respect up, what impact will it have on the senate rule book. It was the first time very much your professionalism and . We learn these things in I had ever seen it. They parked me in look forward to working with you— meetings; we think about them as we a chair next to the presiding officer of even when you give us disappointing vote on measures on the floor. Obvi- the Senate, the Lieutenant rulings. ously, they are being discussed widely Governor, and said: Now you are here f in the public realm as well. So drawing to give advice. THE ECONOMY those lines in a careful, responsible I spent every waking moment read- way is going to be a challenge for us. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I lis- ing that rule book and trying to under- But disclosure is still the best anti- tened to the comments made by the stand what it meant. There wasn’t a dote to the misuse of this public infor- Republican leader about how he be- course like that in law school or any- mation. I don’t think it is wrong for lieved President Obama is trying to thing that gave me guidance as to what the President to challenge us or for the change the topic and not talk about I was to do. I made a lot of stupid mis- Republican leader to challenge the ex- the economy and, rather, talk about takes, and I learned along the way ecutive branch at the same level. That ethical standards in the U.S. Congress. what it meant to be a senate parlia- is fair. You know I am friendly to the I have to say this is an issue that reso- mentarian. President. I am a member of his party It was a humbling experience, in nates with me personally because, as I and was a personal friend to him before many respects, to learn this new body mentioned earlier, I have been honored he was elected, and I still am today. He of law, how it applied to the everyday to have been brought up in public serv- should accept the challenge from the business of the Illinois State Senate. It ice by two outstanding individuals, Senator from Kentucky to look at the was equally humbling to be in a posi- former U.S. Senators Paul Simon and, standards within the executive branch tion where your voice was never heard before him, . Both of to see if they meet at least the min- but your rulings were repeated by so these men had integrity as a hallmark. imum standards set by this legislation. many. Even as people in Illinois disagreed We should look at it, as well, in terms I recall that many years later—14 from time to time with their positions of our responsibilities as Senators. years later—I was elected to the U.S. on issues, they never questioned their House of Representatives. After serving honesty. That is my background, my I take exception to the comments 12 of those 14 years in the office of the training, and I have tried to continue made by the Republican leader when it Illinois State Senate Parliamentarian, in that tradition. comes to the state of the economy and I cannot describe to you the heady feel- I accepted the standard, which was the role of the executive. The Senator ing I had when I went on the floor of first initiated by Senator Paul Douglas from Kentucky said there has been the U.S. House of Representatives, and carried on by Senator Paul Simon, change in the national debt, since the they handed me the gavel, and I actu- of making a complete income and asset President was elected, by an increase ally presided over the U.S. House. After disclosure every single year. I think if of 4 percent. I am sure that is close to 14 years of silence as the Illinois State I look back now, I can trace it back to true if not true in detail. But look at Senate Parliamentarian, I was speak- my earliest campaign, certainly back the circumstances. When President ing before one of the greatest legisla- to my time in the office of the Lieuten- Clinton left office and turned the keys tive bodies in the world. So I have ant Governor. Almost every year I over to President George W. Bush, the some appreciation for the role of a par- made that disclosure. There was some national debt was $5 trillion, and the liamentarian, and particularly for the embarrassment in the early years, be- next year’s budget would have been the contribution of people such as Alan cause my wife and I were broke and we third in a row in surplus by $120 bil- Frumin. In some respects, it is a showed a negative net worth because of lion—not a bad welcome gift from the thankless job, because you are bound student loans. We suffered some chid- outgoing President, William Jefferson to make some people upset. As the ma- ing and embarrassment over that. Over Clinton. jority leader mentioned, we respect the years, even my wife got to where Now fast forward 8 years as President Alan’s impartiality as Parliamen- she didn’t pay much attention on April Bush left office and handed the keys to tarian, but many times we go back to 15 when I released all this information. President Obama—quite a different our office and are critical of it at the What we are considering on the floor world. Instead of a national debt of $5 same time. We hope he will rule in our is a tough issue. It is this: When you trillion, 8 years later, it was $11 tril- favor instead of the other way. earn something as a Congressman or lion, more than double under President Alan has been faithful to precedent, Senator, what should you do to take George W. Bush, a fiscal conservative to the rules of the Senate, and that is care that you don’t capitalize on that, by his own self-description. Look at all we can ask of a person who serves in that you don’t turn that into part of a what he left for President Obama in his his position. He has to tolerate the ti- personal decision that might enrich first budget, in the first year: a $1.2 tanic egos that occupy this Chamber. I you? It is a legitimate issue, and I sup- trillion deficit. Not a surplus, but a used to say that the majority leader is port the legislation that is on the floor, deficit 10 times as large as the surplus the captain of a small boat full of ti- though I think it will be challenging to left by President Clinton. That is what tanic egos. That is the nature of this implement. President Obama inherited. institution. Alan has been called on We should never capitalize on insider He said in the State of the Union Ad- more often than most to deal with the information, private information given dress that we had lost 3 million jobs in peculiarities of even my colleagues and to us in our public capacity, to enrich the 6 months preceding his being sworn myself. ourselves, period, no questions asked. in and another 3 million before his I wish him the best after more than What we have before us now is an op- stimulus bill was passed and imple- 35 years of service to the Congress, portunity to call for more timely dis- mented. Six million jobs were gone;

VerDate Mar 15 2010 02:49 Dec 28, 2012 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD12\RECFILES\JAN 2012\S31JA2.REC S31JA2 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with S178 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 31, 2012 750,000 people lost their jobs the month in that commission for the economy to ica were political forces even as the President Obama was sworn into office. recover and come out of this recession. days of the all-powerful political ma- Now Senator MCCONNELL comes to Those who argue that we should chines were beginning to dwindle. In the floor and says that is President abandon that now would sink us even , there was Richard Daley; in Obama’s fault. I don’t think that is a more deeply into a recession instead of New York, John Lindsay; in Los Ange- fair characterization. I think the Presi- on the road to recovery. We need to les, Sam Yorty, among some of the big dent would accept responsibility not continue to act, to find that which will city mayors of our Nation. But in Bos- only for his time in office but for the strengthen our economy—investment ton, Kevin represented a new genera- decisions he has made. But to saddle in education and training for our work- tion of urban leaders. He was only 38 him with the legacy of the previous ers, investment in research, whether it years old and was filled with optimism President and his economic policies is is at the National Institutes of Health and energy and clear ideas of what he fundamentally unfair. or other agencies of government, so wanted to be—summarized, per- The Senator from Kentucky says, that we can move forward with innova- haps, in the notion of being a world- don’t forget, it was on President tion and create jobs in areas such as class city. Obama’s watch that a rating agency green and clean energy. He attracted brilliant, idealistic downgraded the credit rating of the Third is the development of our in- young people to help him achieve his United States. True. If you read the frastructure. It is indefensible that goal, brilliant young people such as downgrade, it is not about the state of Congress has been unable to pass a , Micho Spring, Ann the economy, it was about the state of highway bill, an infrastructure bill to Lewis, Paul Grogan, Fred Salvucci, politics in Washington. We were down- rebuild America. The trip I took to George Regan, Robert Kiley, Bo Hol- graded by Standard & Poor’s because last year was a stark reminder land, Cecily Nuzzo Foster, Dennis Aus- they believed that we were incapable, that China is determined to lead the tin, and Clarence ‘‘Jeep’’ Jones, all of as a divided government, to make im- world in the 21st century. They are whom saw in him a reason to dedicate portant decisions for this Nation. building in China an infrastructure to themselves to public service. How did they reach that conclusion? do it, while we nurse one that has been When Kevin White moved into city Perhaps it was because of this divided falling apart for decades. hall, some people assumed they were government, with the tea party domi- Can’t Republicans and Democrats getting a business-as-usual mayor— nance in the House of Representatives, agree even in a Presidential election Irish and Catholic, typical and tradi- that led us into a position in 2011 where year that we need a solid infrastruc- tional. But the times were changing. we faced two government shutdowns ture bill that will rebuild America and The political and social climate of Bos- and one shutdown of the economy in create good-paying jobs right here in ton in the late 1960s was hardly tradi- the same year. This weakened econ- America? It is time for us to have a tional, and Kevin White was anything omy, suffering from recession, still had balanced plan and to work together to but your typical politician. to worry about whether the fights be- achieve it. He glided effortlessly between the old tween the House and the Senate would The President is not trying to avoid world and the new. No one had ever lead to even more economic peril. That the topic. He addressed it in his State seen a Boston politician go to Rhode is why we were downgraded. Don’t of the Union Address. It is up to the Island to get the Rolling Stones re- blame the President for that. We can Congress to follow. leased into their personal custody after blame ourselves—at least partially— I yield the floor. they were arrested, and then the next for the downgrade. Let me say that The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- night, when they appeared at a concert too. pore. The Senator from . in Boston, stand up and announce to a We know there is uncertainty about f cheering crowd, ‘‘The Stones have been the future. People are waiting for cer- busted, but I sprung them.’’ Kevin did tainty when it comes to the value of TRIBUTE TO KEVIN HAGAN WHITE just that in 1972, which happened to be real estate, the future of jobs, and busi- Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, last Fri- right after 18-year-olds got the right to ness. I understand that. But things are day Kevin Hagan White, a four-term vote. moving in the right direction. Last , passed away. Kevin White opened Boston’s polit- week, we learned that our economy In the city of Boston, in the shadows ical system to African Americans, grew at a rate of 2.8 percent in the last of , there is a statue of women, Jews, and gay Americans 3 months of 2011—the strongest quarter Mayor White that stands 10 feet tall, alike. He spearheaded rent control. He of the year—and it shows that the larger than life. There could not be a decentralized the city government by chances of double-dip recession are re- more fitting tribute to a mayor and a forming little city halls in the neigh- ceding. man who was himself a huge figure in borhoods. He made jobs for young peo- In 2011, the unemployment rate fell the history of Boston and a mayor who ple a priority. He organized outdoor from 9 to 8.5. The private sector added helped to give our city the extraor- summer activities known as more jobs in 2011 than in any year dinary skyline and the extraordinary ‘‘Summerthing.’’ He refused to let since 2005. The American manufac- spirit it has today. Interstate 95 run right through the city turing sector was growing for the first He was a mayor who, more impor- in order to protect low-income homes time since the late 1990s. tantly, through four terms led the city and boost public transportation. But The Republicans don’t want to credit of Boston through a remarkable transi- perhaps most importantly, he sparked this President as they should. There tion, from times of division to a time a downtown renaissance that began are 3 million new private sector jobs. of new international and singular iden- with Quincy Market, now one of the The weakness in our unemployment tity for the city. He led the transition city’s top tourist attractions, and it figures reflects the loss of public sector of a great city. But this good man and became the heartbeat of the new Bos- jobs. Federal, State, and local employ- ground-breaking mayor was, frankly, ton that is his legacy. ment has gone down as the revenues of much more than a transitional leader Mr. President, Kevin White came to government have decreased. himself. He was a transformative figure city hall with an ambitious plan to But this recovery is still fragile. in a city that, when it comes to his- build a new Boston brick by brick if he Those who come to the floor, as many tory-making mayors, does not use the had to, and that is pretty much what have, and argue for austerity and budg- word ‘‘transformative’’ lightly. he did. When Kevin White took office, et deficit concentration aren’t wrong, Mayor White’s passing gives Boston Boston was in many ways still stuck in but their timing is wrong. This is the and its people a chance to reflect on the 1920s—virtually no new buildings in moment when we need to strengthen how one leader, one politician could decades, a steady decline in population this economy and move it forward. I help to reshape a major city in Amer- and jobs, flophouses in the Back Bay, was on the Bowles-Simpson commis- ica—to some degree reflecting his own Quincy Market, a ramshackle ware- sion. Understand that their deficit re- persona, bright and energetic. Kevin house of butchers and cheese dealers. duction did not begin until the first of White was elected to city hall in 1967, But Kevin and his new team at city 2013. We wanted to create enough time a time when big city mayors in Amer- hall hit Boston like a bolt of lightning,

VerDate Mar 15 2010 02:49 Dec 28, 2012 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD12\RECFILES\JAN 2012\S31JA2.REC S31JA2 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with