On the recordJanuary 25, 1994
I think it is especially relevant for us today to think about those aspects of his career which, frankly, go very counter to some current public assumptions. One of the popular items we hear about today is term limits. Well, Tip O'Neill came to Congress in 1952, and I am told six terms is the usual on limits. I find it hard to believe that many people think America would have been greatly improved if Tip O'Neill would have left the Congress in 1964 instead of being able to stay here, gone off, and done something else. We have people talk about Members of Congress who like the life, who stay because it is easy, because it is so comfortable. Well, Tip O'Neill, leaving in his seventies, after 50 years of very hard and very dedicated public service, which it was to him and which he embodied, he then began the life of comfort. Tip O'Neill, as he would tell you, made more money in the few years after leaving Congress, probably, than he did in the 50 years in which he stayed in elected office.
