Mike Levin: “I am so glad to be here with my colleagues. John Dingell is being lionized here tonight and for good reason, as was true…”

“I am so glad to be here with my colleagues. John Dingell is being lionized here tonight and for good reason, as was true on previous occasions. And I think ``lion'' is a good term to describe John Dingell. Ferociousness. There is a ferocity about John, about his beliefs, a belief in the common man and woman and their aspirations and their needs. {time} 2030 A ferociousness about the need for health for everybody in this country. He has devoted his life to this. A ferociousness, and I am not on the committee, but Members who have been there tell me that is so true when he investigates. And also for the automotive industry, it is in his blood. It is in his being, raised in southeast Michigan, knowing the importance of it. A lion is also known for bravery, and, John, you are gutsy. You are brave. You do not simply look to see where the winds are blowing, and that has been a mark of your career. A lion is also known for eminence. And I think just, for example, and Mr. Obey and others have talked about the environment, what a lofty person John has been about our earth, about its sacredness, its sanctity. And also, John, you have been an eminence in terms of the institution here. You believe in it, and you want everybody else to believe in it. A lion is also known for gruffness, and there is a bit of that in John. He can be very succinct. So all those characteristics of a lion, I think, apply to John Dingell as a lion in this place. But we were chatting in my office.…”