Senate Proceeding on Jan 29th, 2008 :: 0:59:11 to 1:10:40
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0:59:11 to 0:59:16( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: block access to make progress here in the congress and then severalays later come and complain that progress hasn't been made. that is a byzantine approach to legislating. i do agree, however, that we

0:59:11 to 1:10:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Byron Dorgan

0:59:16 to 0:59:33( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: don't want bad habits to exist here. i've often said, however, en though i'm honored to serve in this place, i've called this place 100 bad habits, which would include myself of course. it's hard

0:59:33 to 0:59:47( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: to get things done in this place. but i'm not suggesting one side or the other side is all wrong. i'm reminded of ogden gnash's poem. he drinks because she scolds, he thinks. she scolds because he drinks,

0:59:47 to 1:00:27( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: she thinks. neither of these will admit it's true. he's a drunk and she's a shrew. let me say this, on ts issue of fisa, it's strange credibility for a party that says you may not move. we will block

1:00:32 to 1:00:49( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: you. we insist that we get 60 votes on every amendment. every amendment has to have 60 votes. otherwise, we filibuster. if that's the case, we don't make progress. and i don't think you can say, well, we're

1:00:49 to 1:01:04( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: going to object to progress and then we'll complain that progress isn't made. that makes no sense to me. i don't know of anybody in this chamber that don't want the fisa thing to be extended and resolved.

1:01:04 to 1:01:17( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: let's do that. let's get it done. let's have a little cooperation. but cooperation takes two parties, and it's long past the time to do that. as i've said, we've had a lot of bad habits in this chamber

1:01:17 to 1:01:36( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: -- a senator: would the senator entertain a question? mr. dorgan: i of course -- let me ask that my time be extended, however, for the minute or so the senator wishes to inquire. the presiding officer:

1:01:36 to 1:01:54( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: without objection, so ordered. mr. bond: mr. president, i just ask my good friend if he doesn't agree that the intelligence committee bills have to pass with 60 votes, the "protect america" act, i believe,

1:01:54 to 1:02:08( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: passed with 60 votes. the leader said in december it made sense to have all votes at 60-vote margins. and i would -- would he not expect that the senate intelligence committee bill, which i support,

1:02:08 to 1:02:30( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: will have to get 60 votes? if so, does it not make sense to have 60 votes to pass all amendments? mr. dorgan: mr. president, it certainly does not make sense. in fact, exactly the opposite. that's nonsense

1:02:30 to 1:02:50( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: to bring a bill to the floor and say, look, regular order would be bring up amendments. if a majority of the senators agree with them, those amendments are approved. but we don't like regular order.

1:02:50 to 1:03:05( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: let's decide that every amendment that shall be brought up shall have to have 60 votes. why? because if not, they will filibuster every amendment and then complain nothing is getting done. i mean,

1:03:05 to 1:03:18( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: no, it does not make sense, i would say to my friend. i didn't come to talk about that, but let me just talk for a moment about this issue of the economy. you know, in the -- this is a discussion about

1:03:18 to 1:03:40( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: starting the engine or getting the engine working on this ship of states so that we move the country forward. it's about jobs and expanding opportunities for the american people, because when the

1:03:40 to 1:04:01( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: economy contracts, people run into trouble. they are the ones that get laid off. the folks that are working in plants and working at the bottom, working for minimum wage, they are the ones that lose

1:04:01 to 1:04:21( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: ground during an economic contraction. well, it used to be on the old automobiles when you started an engine, you had to crank it. then we went from a crank to a starter, so you could push a button

1:04:21 to 1:04:34( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: or turn a key. some people think our economy is like that.~ and is as simple as that. it is not, of course much our economy is a lot about people's confidence. if they're confident in the future,

1:04:34 to 1:05:00( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: they do things that represent that confidence. they buy a washer, buy a car, go on a trip. they expand the comevment if they lack confidence in the future, they defer the purchase of that piece

1:05:00 to 1:05:21( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: of equipment for that home. they defer the car and the trip and the economy con tracts. it is that simple. we have a lot of problems with the economy, i described some of them on the floor recently.

1:05:21 to 1:05:41( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: but the federal reserve board, recognizing that problem, took bold action, three-quarter after percent interest rate cut will likely do nor the next couple of days. and the impression is that we should

1:05:41 to 1:05:56( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: do a stimulus package. that is stimulus with respect to fiscal policy. i don't object to that. in fact, we have to do that, because a whole lot of what is going on in the market today is a lot about psychology.

1:05:56 to 1:06:11( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: i indicated it before, i called the field of economics, psychology pumped up by helium. some people think it is a science, it is not. it is a circumstance in which we know very little about the way

1:06:11 to 1:06:23( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: this economy works. we do have more stablizers in the economy than we did decades ago, so we've been able to even out a bit some of the recessions and the downturns and all of that has been helpful.

1:06:23 to 1:06:44( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: but if we do a stimulus package now, during a time of some difficulty, we may be in a recession, no one knows, we probably won't know that until we see it in the rear-view mirror, but if we do a stimulus

1:06:44 to 1:06:59( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: package and fiscal policy, i think that is a reasonable thing to do. i don't think it will have a significant impact on the economy. suggesting 1% of our g.d.p. as a stimulus, that is not going to

1:06:59 to 1:07:11( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: a dramatic impact. psychologically i think that we should do a stimulus package. let me say what i do think what the finance committee chairman is talking about makes a lot of sense. if you do a stimulus package

1:07:11 to 1:07:29( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: and you are going to provide some kind of rebate, make sure that you include senior citizens, many of whom are working -- excuse me. liveing with lower incomes. they're the one that's will spend

1:07:29 to 1:07:44( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: it and contribute to additional purchasing power in the economy. soou should not leave out the millions, tens of millions of senior citizens, if you're going to do a stimulus package. i support including

1:07:44 to 1:08:01( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: senior citizens in the stimulus package. the president and a coupleof my colleagues said, you -- a couple of my colleagues say, the president did, the house change -- did it, you can't change it. it is like

1:08:01 to 1:08:27( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: pulling a thread on a sweater. the house it a version of the stimulus package. we should do ours. we have somber ideas, but we ought to get it done quickly and we ought to resolve it with the house and

1:08:27 to 1:08:51( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: send it to the president. extending unemployment ben benefits is something that we always do in an economic downturn and we should do it again in my judgment. let me say this, a stimulus package

1:08:51 to 1:09:12( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: that is brought to the floor of the senate that does not have a cap on who is going to get the rebates makes no sense at all. and there's talk about that, well, we'll get a stimulus package and

1:09:12 to 1:09:29( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: have no cap on the rebate. we're going to send bill gates a $500 $500 check? see if we can stimulate the economy a little bit? that makes no sense. there should be a cap on this. this should go to

1:09:29 to 1:09:44( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: middle income and lower income workers, they're the one that's will spend it and the one that's will give a jump-start to the economy to the extent that the stimulus package actually does that. but,

1:09:44 to 1:09:59( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: as i said, psychologically, i think that we have a responsibility and fiscal policy to do something in this general direction. now, let me say this. the senator from connecticut just came to the floor,

1:09:59 to 1:10:21( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: and he has been working on something that i'm very interested in. that is infrastructure investment. if we just do a short-term stimulus of 1% of the economy, and that's all, we're not going to give this

1:10:21 to 1:10:40( Edit History Discussion )

Byron Dorgan: economy the kind of boost or investment to this economy that it needs. we need a second step and the second stepped ought to be the big step. and we ought to look at what is going on with the

1:10:40 to 1:10:57( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher Dodd: infrom fra structure in this country. my colleague has a dodd-hagel bill that makes a lot of sense, we had a lengthy meeting on friday with a lot of peep. here's the situation. infrastructure, that's

1:10:40 to 1:31:33( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Christopher Dodd