Bipartisanship

BIPARTISANSHIP -- (Senate - November 18, 2004)

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, after this month's historic election, a lot of political pundits are ardently trying to figure out what the results may have meant. I have been in politics for a period of time, so I would like to share my point of view on the matter.

Obviously, people on our side of the aisle are pleased that the electorate has returned President Bush for a second term, and obviously we are equally pleased that the larger Republican majority in both Houses of Congress will be available to work with the President next year. The last time a reelected President returned to office with larger majorities of his party in both the House and the Senate was back in 1936 when President Roosevelt was running for reelection the first time. If the American people suddenly speak louder than they have in 70 years, I think it is clear that they would like to see some action.

The voters didn't send any of us Republicans or Democrats up here just to sit in these chairs. They sent us here to get things accomplished. Republicans can't and shouldn't do that alone. We will need to cooperate with our colleagues across the aisle to produce results, which is what we were sent here, of course, to do.

Soon Republicans will fill 55 seats in this Chamber. That is a nice number but it is not 60. And it often takes 60, as we all know. Frequently-actually most of the time-it takes 60 to get results in the Senate.

So to our Democratic friends on the other side, let me say we want to work with you. The voters expect us to work in a bipartisan manner to make our country more secure, our economic opportunities more plentiful, and our common values more respected. To do that, we need your support, and we will work to earn it.

Last week, Senator Lieberman, a good friend of mine and a good friend of many of us in the Senate, came to my hometown of Louisville, KY, where he spoke at the University of Louisville, my alma mater, where he gave an outstanding speech. In it he said:

It is critically important that we put first things first, and national interests ahead of our party interests.

I commend the Senator from Connecticut for his exemplary spirit of goodwill. I think that is a good guidepost for all of us as we begin the 109th Congress in January.

I say to my Democratic friends that we are all willing to work with them in that same spirit which JOE LIEBERMAN outlined. Together, we are going to accomplish great things of which this body can truly be proud.

We will have hard tasks ahead of us. The Social Security system is a speeding train heading for a brick wall and really must be set right for future generations. The tax system is burdensome and unfair and must be reinvented to fit our 21st century economy. We have to finish the job in Iraq so we can bring our troops home safely and with honor.

We have tackled tough challenges before. Working together-Republicans and Democrats-successfully reformed the welfare system and put millions of Americans on the path to self-reliance and financial stability. Working together-Republicans and Democrats-projected American power into the former Yugoslavia to halt the killing of innocents and provide humanitarian aid. Working together-Republicans and Democrats-we moved the brutal Taliban regime from Afghanistan and struck a fatal blow against al-Qaida.

Now we have a chance to make history again. Republicans are not likely to accomplish much alone. The same is true for our Democrat colleagues. This Senate should heed America's call for action. The voters of our States didn't send us here to simply mark time. They sent us here to build a better America for our sons and daughters, and future generations yet to come.

As we move forward, this new Congress must be prepared to get to work, and to get to work on a bipartisan basis.

I yield the floor. what