On the recordFebruary 9, 2024
as a Senator from the State of Indiana, I just can't let February pass without offering a tribute to one of our State's favorite sons, Abraham Lincoln. As we approach his birthday, we celebrate how Lincoln's story is perhaps the ultimate example of American opportunity. Lincoln spent the formative days of his childhood in the Hoosier wilderness, and he ultimately rose from the humblest of circumstances: a log cabin all the way up to the White House. As President, he helped preserve our Union and end slavery, setting a course so that all Americans, regardless of race or circumstances, could follow his upwards path. Lincoln challenged America to honor the promise in its Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. And he reminds us still today that if we fail to do so, government by consent of the governed cannot long endure. I think all of us here in the U.S. Senate today can attest these are difficult times. We face all sorts of challenges, foreign and domestic; and therefore, our politics are difficult. But I would argue--and I do so here today--that the politics we are facing today aren't nearly as difficult as those that Abraham Lincoln faced. During a week like this, where passions run high, we have had numerous debates behind closed doors and on this floor, we should keep perspective, and we should avoid dramatic comparisons and take dire predictions with a grain of salt.…
