Thomas Daschle: “yesterday, one of our colleagues made a speech at the National Press Club that deserves the attention of all Senators.…”

“yesterday, one of our colleagues made a speech at the National Press Club that deserves the attention of all Senators. Senator Kennedy spoke of the timeless values and enduring ideals that Democrats share with the American people. He eloquently described the successful fights Democrats led in past years to enact Social Security and Medicare; the fight for civil rights; the fight for an equal opportunity for all America's children, rich and poor alike; the great opening of opportunity through higher education; all the efforts to preserve what's finest about our national community. And he set forth the challenges Americans face today, and the Democratic response to those challenges, for the working middle-class families of this country. I addressed the same concerns last week, on the first day of the 104th Congress, when I introduced five bills that are directed at the goals of increasing the economic and personal security of working families, strengthening of economic foundations on which American prosperity rests, and reforming the Congress to reduce the influence of money in politics. Senator Kennedy spoke with the special passion that only he brings to politics, a passion that throws into sharp relief Democratic goals and the principles by which Democrats have sought those goals throughout this century.”