Louie Gohmert: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. It is an honor, privilege and a pleasure--all three--to be here to pay tribute to…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. It is an honor, privilege and a pleasure--all three--to be here to pay tribute to our friend Ralph Hall. I think I'm the only one that has spoken that was actually represented by Ralph Hall, and so it's not my first testimonial for the gentleman from Rockwall. In fact, in 2001, it looked like there was a new redistricting map the legislature had come out with, and it was going to put my home town of Tyler in a different district. During my years on the bench, I had been concerned about some of the Federal laws that were luring people into ruts they couldn't get out of without any hope, and that's when I first thought about running. But I knew, and I said publicly, as long as Ralph Hall is my Congressman there's no need for me to run. I know that man, I know his heart, I know his convictions--not criminal convictions, I don't know of any of them--but I know the convictions of his heart, and I know him to be a man of conscience, a moral, upright, decent man who had a wonderful wife, and there was no way there was a need for me to run as long as Ralph Hall was my Representative. I was told by some Republican leaders, look, he's a Democrat, you ought to run against him anyway, and I said no way. I couldn't do any better than Ralph Hall. I'm well represented. But in 2003, finally the legislature actually did redistricting, and we ended up in a different district, and I ran.…”