On the recordDecember 8, 2020
This month, after 40 years of service as a Member of Congress, our senior Senator of Kansas will be moving his belongings out of his office in the Hart Senate Office Building to a private library. To best honor him, I would like to share some of his original wit, some of the quips for which he is most famous. Number one: Take your job seriously, but not yourself. There are no self-made men or women in public service. It is your family, friends, and staff who have made you what you are. Another couple of favorites: You are only as good as your staff. It isn't the best possible bill; it is the best bill possible. In reference to an opponent who sometimes disagrees with you, he suggested: Go smother them with the milk of human kindness. On his commitment to agriculture, he said: We live in a troubled and hungry world. Food security is national security. When asked about why we need agriculture programs, the Senator once said: You can't eat a shoe. On life, when asked about making a mistake, he suggested that: You go hunker down and take it like a donkey in a hailstorm. He once said: Remember, when you roll around with pigs, you both get dirty, but only one of you enjoys it. On sports, at football games, he often said: Throw the ball to the tight end. He was wide open. And, of course, as we all know, the Senator was the unofficial tight end coach for the ever-optimistic and fighting Kansas State Wildcats.…
