Senate Proceeding on Dec 12th, 2011 :: 0:00:00 to 0:20:00
Total video length: 5 hours 23 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:194 Duration: 0:20:00 Discussion

Next speech:

0:00:15 to 0:00:35( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: a couple of moments. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. god our king, you are clothed in majesty and strength. your throne

0:00:35 to 0:02:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Rear Adm. Barry Black

0:00:36 to 0:00:56( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: has been established from the beginning, and you existed before time began. help our lawmakers today to do their work well, striving to labor for your glory.

0:00:57 to 0:01:18( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: give them the purity of life and honesty of purpose to walk in your way. strengthen their hearts and minds that they may worthily measure up to the role

0:01:19 to 0:01:41( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: you have ordained for them. thus may they fulfill their vocation to the glory of your name and the advancement of your kingdom.

0:01:42 to 0:02:06( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication

0:02:07 to 0:02:10( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., december 12, 2011.

0:02:11 to 0:02:25( Edit History Discussion )

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable christopher coons, a senator from the state of delaware, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye,

0:02:55 to 0:08:50( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Harry Reid

0:03:00 to 0:03:22( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following leader remarks the senate will be in morning business until 4:30 this afternoon. following that morning business the senate will be in executive session to consider nominations of norman eisen to be ambassador

0:03:23 to 0:03:43( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: to the czech republic and mari aponte to be ambassador to el salvador. i ask unanimous consent that john d. tealy from the state department be granted floor privileges for the eisen and

0:03:44 to 0:04:04( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: apone nominations. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: the senate will vote on norman icen to be ambassador and mari apont spe, they're in their positions. these nominees are qualified public servants who will

0:04:05 to 0:04:25( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: continue to represent their nation with distinction. for our republican colleagues, being qualified and dedicated doesn't seem to be enough. last week they blocked the nap nation of a brilliant legal mind, caitlin halligan to the district court of appeals. obviously they don't mind there

0:04:26 to 0:04:46( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: are vacancies paws republicans were in the majority in that court. so defeat this competent woman and that's what they did with vacancies still in the court and blocked the nomination of richard cordray to lead the financial protection bureau despite his qualifications for

0:04:47 to 0:05:08( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: the job. he has a long history of protecting the middle class and he would have been a great asset in our fight to protect main street from the kind of wall street greed that caused the 2008 financial crisis. yet republicans denied mr. cordray's nomination, i should say confirmation, and

0:05:09 to 0:05:29( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: all it does is weaken the agency he was nominated to lead. i hope republicans will not turn every confirmation process into a political three-ring circus. the candidates today, mr. icen -- mr. eisen and

0:05:30 to 0:05:50( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: ms. aponte have jumped through enough hoops already. ms. aponte's record speaks for itself and experts in the region support her confirmation. the same enthusiasm is there for ambassador eisen. if republicans block the confirmation of these excellent, qualified

0:05:51 to 0:06:11( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: candidates, it will only be for nakedly partisan reasons. also is a democratic proposal to to to end a $1,000 tax increase on working families. every hour they delay and every day they filibuster is one more the senate by necessity will

0:06:12 to 0:06:32( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: have to stay in washington to get its work done. republicans have opposed our plan to pay for this legislation with a tiny surtax on a tiny fraction of america's highest earners. the tax would only apply to the second or third or fourth million the wealthiest americans make. but republicans say the richest of the rich in our country even

0:06:33 to 0:06:54( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: those who make millions every year shouldn't contribute more than to get our economy back on track. they call our plan time after time a tax on job creators. and i say so-called job creators. because i say that, mr. president, every shred of evidence contradicts this red herring.

0:06:55 to 0:07:16( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: for example, other -- there have been many outlets but i'll concentrate on one, national public radio went looking for one of these fictitious millionaire job creators. a reporter reached out to a tax lobby in congress hoping to interview one of these millionaires. days ticked by with no luck.

0:07:17 to 0:07:39( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: maybe job creators are like unicorns, impossible to find and don't exist. that's because only a tiny fraction of people making more than a million dollars, probably less than 1% are actually small business owners and only a tiny fraction of that tiny fraction is a traditional job creator. most of these businesses are

0:07:40 to 0:08:00( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: hedge fund managers and wealthy lawyers. they don't do much hiring and don't need for tax breaks. one reporter looked for millionaire job creators hiding on facebook. this time they found a few and they actually supported our plan, these people on facebook actually supported our plan to ask the richest of the rich to

0:08:01 to 0:08:21( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: pitch in to improve the economy for all americans. this is gentleman yaifn bergering, owner of a contracting company, said. first of all, he's hiring like crazy. and i repeat this quote. "it's only fair that i put into the system that is the entire

0:08:22 to 0:08:42( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: reason for my success that i put something into the system." mr. berger may be a millionaire but he's one in a million. a majority of people who make more than a million dollars a year say they boo gladly contribute more to improve the economy. it's often said what's good for america is good for america. i hope my republican colleagues

0:08:43 to 0:09:02( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: said as mr. berger said that

0:08:55 to 0:13:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Mitch McConnell

0:09:03 to 0:09:23( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: good for business. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. president, later this week ?ons senators will have an opportunity to do three big things with a single vote. by voting for the act that will soon come from the house

0:09:24 to 0:09:44( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: senators will be able to extend the tax relief americans continue continue to need, prevent job losses by blocking a new regulation on u.s. manufacturers, and facilitate the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs through the construction of the keystone x.l. pipeline.

0:09:45 to 0:10:07( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: one vote, three accomplishments. and that's to say nothing of the other things the bill would do like the doc fix and unemployment insurance. so my suggestion is once this legislation comes over from the house, that we pass it without delay. based on nerts of the bill --, merits of the bill, it should

0:10:08 to 0:10:28( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: be a strong bipartisan vote. nothing could be more bipartisan right now than preventing job loss or facilitating the creation of new private sector jobs. the president has said that job creation is his top priority, here's a bill that helps him achieve it. without a dime of taxpayer money. the president says he wants to extend the payroll tax

0:10:29 to 0:10:49( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: extension. here's a bill that does it. the president says he wants unemployment insurance extended. this bill does that. the president says he wants the two parties to compromise. this is it. there is no reason this legislation shouldn't have the president's enthusiastic support. the only reason, the only

0:10:50 to 0:11:10( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: reason for democrats to pose this job creating bill would be to gain some political advantage at a time when every one of them says job creation is a top priority. here's what the junior senator from west virginia, a democrat, had to say just today about the p contained in the house bill. "i'm for the keystone pipeline.

0:11:11 to 0:11:32( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: all the trade unions, everyone's for it, it creates thousands of jobs." i couldn't say it better. the house actually had a stand-alone vote on the keystone x.l. in july. 47 -- 47 house for it. so i would suggest to my friends on the other side they join with

0:11:33 to 0:11:53( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: us and close out the year on a bipartisan note. the middle-class tax relief and job creation act was written to appeal to both parties and i have yet to hear anyone on the other side offer a single good reason for opposing it. so democrats have given for opposing this bill is they'd

0:11:54 to 0:12:14( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: rather extend the payroll tax cut on its own without adding language about a pipeline that many of them say they support anyway. so evidently, they'd vote for both of these separately, but not together? that makes absolutely no sense. look, you're either for this

0:12:15 to 0:12:35( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: pipeline project and the jobs that would come with it or you're not. and no reason to oppose it just because it's not offered as a stand-alone measure. that doesn't make any sense. it's time to stop the posturing. here's a bill that contains top

0:12:36 to 0:12:57( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: priorities from both sides. let's take it up and pass it without any more theatrics. let's tass past this job-creating bill and give americans the certainty and the jobs they deserve. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous time is reserved and under the previous order the senate will

0:12:58 to 0:13:17( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: be, in a period of morning business until 4:30 p.m. with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the clerk will call the roll.

0:13:34 to 0:13:35( Edit History Discussion )

quorum call: the presiding officer: the

0:13:36 to 0:13:58( Edit History Discussion )

senator from i mr. durbin: i ask the quorum call be suspended and speak in morning business. the presiding officer: the senate is in morning business. mr. durbin: thank you, last week the highlight of the united states senate were two republican filibusters. those are efforts by the republicans to demand 60 votes for the senate to take action. used to be rare.

0:13:59 to 0:14:19( Edit History Discussion )

in fact, so rare that jimmy stewart made a movie about it, "mr. smith goes to washington." you may rember it. it wasn't this chamber, he was if the back row because he was a freshman senator and he literally spoke until he dropped physically. but he won the argument. won the day. great triumph in washington.

0:14:20 to 0:14:40( Edit History Discussion )

he used the filibuster effectively to stop what he thought was a greedy move, a selfish move by his colleagues. that's the movies. what's real life? real life is when a republican senator said i declare a filibuster and i'll see you later. i'm going out to dinner. that's how it works around here. if we had a few more jimmy stewart moments on the floor

0:14:41 to 0:15:01( Edit History Discussion )

where those who are pushing for a filibuster an exceptional, extraordinary, 60-vote margin had to stick on the floor and argue their point, i think they'd go away. because nine times out of ten, 19 out of 20, maybe even more more, turns out there's no solid basis for what they're doing.

0:15:02 to 0:15:22( Edit History Discussion )

what they did last week was to stop a woman there being appointed to the district court in the district of columbia. her name is kaitlyn cal hin -- caitlin halligan, who has argued many cases before the supreme court, i don't resume in front of me. i spoke to her nomination last week. she was found unanimously well qualified by the american bar

0:15:23 to 0:15:44( Edit History Discussion )

association and yet she was filibustered by the republicans. and we couldn't come up, we couldn't come up be with -- only one republican vote to support us. only one. all the rest said filibuster continues. to put that in historic perspective, a few years ago we had a big confrontation in the senate before the president was elected.

0:15:45 to 0:16:05( Edit History Discussion )

so i don't implicate him in any way but before this president, there was an argument about whether you should filibuster federal nominees. a group of 14 bipartisan group said only under extraordinary circumstances. last week with this filibuster on this nominee they completely forgot that except for one, senator hurricanes of alaska --

0:16:06 to 0:16:26( Edit History Discussion )

murkowski of alaska. she joined us breaking to -- she joined us voting to break the filibuster, it wasn't enough. that one nominee fell by the wayside. one filibuster a week wasn't enough for the other side. they came up later in the week with another one. that seems to be the sum and substance of their strategy in the senate. and this filibuster was for richard cordray.

0:16:27 to 0:16:49( Edit History Discussion )

richard cordray is a former attorney general from the state of he is now working at the consumer financial protection bureau and the president wants him to be the director. what is this bureau? created by the dodd-frank financial reform bill, it will put in place for the first time in the history of the united

0:16:50 to 0:17:12( Edit History Discussion )

states an agency of government focused on making certain that families and consumers know what they're s into financial transactions and to stop those who were exploiting americans and american families. the con protection bureau. we have a ton of agencies that work with the financial institutions.

0:17:13 to 0:17:34( Edit History Discussion )

some of them are good close friends of those institutions. this would be the one agency of government on the side of consumers. i know a little bit about because i heard a speech once from elizabeth elizabeth warren, a harvard law professor, one of the most articulate spokespersons for

0:17:35 to 0:17:56( Edit History Discussion )

consumer rights in america and the watchdog on the bailout funds that congress gave to the banks, gave a speech once and said, you know, we ought to have one agency that says to the american people, here are the tricks and traps you might find in a mortgage or a credit card agreement. and here's something we shouldn't allow under the law of america.

0:17:57 to 0:18:17( Edit History Discussion )

i liked it so much, i went up to her afterwards and said i'd like to introduce the bill. she and i worked on it, we introduced it, put the first bill in. and it gained support, popularity to the point where when we came to the floor with the dodd-frank bill, senator chris dodd took my will say improved it dramatically -- did a great job -- and included it in

0:18:18 to 0:18:39( Edit History Discussion )

financial reform. my hope, the hope of many people, was that elizabeth warren, the person who conceived this idea, would head this agency. she was stopped cold. the banking interests and financial institutions in america said not only "no" but "heck no," we're not going to allow her to be the head of this agency. she worked at it, trying to get

0:18:40 to 0:19:01( Edit History Discussion )

it up and running, get the rice people in place and eventually went -- get the right people in place, and eventually went on. and i won't pursue what her next effort will be. you can read about it anywhere in the people. but she were the -- she was the inspiration for this and richard cordray was by her side when they put this agency together. the banks hate the consumer

0:19:02 to 0:19:22( Edit History Discussion )

financial protection bureau like the devil hates holy water. the idea that there would actually be an independent agency look over their transactions and their legal instruments and informing the american people when they've stepped over the line is something th unacceptable. let me tell you about another person working over at the consumer financial protection bureau.

0:19:23 to 0:19:45( Edit History Discussion )

her name is holly petraeus. if the name rings a bell, it should. her husband, general petraeus, has probably been in the forefront of keeping america safe since 9/11 more than any individual, serving both republican and democratic administrations. he has risked his life serving his country overseas.

0:19:46 to 0:20:07( Edit History Discussion )

he is completely committed to our men and women in the military and he's currently head of the c.i.a. his wife -- his wife is cut from the same cloth. she believes in the military in her heart and soul and she worked at the consumer financial protection bureau to stop predatory lenders who are taking advantage of military families. that's the kind of work that can