Barbara Boxer: “What I want to say, before my friend from Iowa leaves, thank you so much, Senator Harkin. I think what you addressed in…”

“What I want to say, before my friend from Iowa leaves, thank you so much, Senator Harkin. I think what you addressed in your remarks is something that has been missing from this debate, and that is what the people are telling us back home. They, in my opinion, do not want to see the filibuster go away because they understand it is a very important part of the American fabric of politics for more than 200 years. They also understand, without a doubt, that the issues that concern their everyday lives are just not being addressed. My friend laid them out beautifully. In Iowa, CA, our people are feeling the same things. They are struggling with high gas prices, lack of health care, worried about the cost of health care, and education. They are absolutely frightened about the President's attack on Social Security. They want us to fight back. They want us to solve the Social Security long-range problem without reducing benefits, without taking away Social Security, and not turning Social Security into a guaranteed gamble. These are issues that are key. Transportation is another issue my friend mentioned. I thank Senator Harkin for his contribution tonight. I also thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who took this Senate back from a cliff where there were very treacherous waters below. They turned us away from a power grab by the majority, from a move that was clearly an abuse of power. They called it themselves, those who wanted this option, the nuclear option.…”