Orrin Hatch: “2 months ago I came to the Senate floor in my capacity as President pro tempore to speak to my colleagues about the…”

“2 months ago I came to the Senate floor in my capacity as President pro tempore to speak to my colleagues about the importance of maintaining decorum and respect in this body. I reminded them that decorum is essential to the proper functioning of the Senate and to its unique role in our constitutional structure. The Framers designed the Senate to be an institution of deliberation and reason, where Members would work to promote consensus and the common good rather than their own narrow, partisan interests. Today I rise once more in my capacity as President pro tempore, this time to discuss another defining feature of this body--the right to extended debate. The Framers designed the Senate to serve as a necessary fence against the fickleness and passion that drives hasty lawmaking--what Edmund Randolph called the turbulence and follies of democracy. James Madison in turn described the Senate as a bulwark against what he called the transient impressions into which the people may from time to time be led. Senators were to refine the popular will to wisdom and sound judgment, reaching measured conclusions about how best to address the Nation's challenges. It is no accident that passing bills through this body takes time. The Framers intended the Senate to be the cooler, more deliberate, more reasoned branch.…”