and dale bumpers, later a senator -- he was a senator when jimmy was elected. but he was governor at the same time jimmy was. and at governor's conferences, they would get together. and he work with us at the center for disease control and developed a good immunization program. she talked me into doing it at home. and so after we got to the white house, she called me. of course i was ready to work on immunization in the white house. that was when my great victories. immunization was required by school-age in only 15 states. there was a little bit about argument about whether it was 15 or 17. the first year we were working with the secretary of hhs and we got it in all 50 states. that was exciting. we had this big meeting in washington -- i go from one subject to another. we have this big meeting in washington to celebrate at people from all over the country. the next day there was not one word in the paper about it. i was so upset. so i called joe califano. i said, "i know there was a camera there." he said it was ours. but nobody was interested in immunization

we used to have a senator from arkansas, dale bumpers, and to use a phrase he used often, they hate the affordable care act like the devil hates holy water. but the fact of the matter is, to turn on 300 million americans and to remove their protection under the affordable care act against discrimination based on preexistinpreexisting medical cs to pay for unemployment benefits? what a faustian bargain. is that the best the other side can come up with? it isn't. the best they can come up with is to stand by these people, the less fortunate people among us struggling to find work, and give them the basics in life, give them the necessities they need to get by. i'm confident they'll find a job, they'll get back to work and they'll be taxpayers again someday. but let's stand by them, their spouses and their children in this time of need. that's what happened 50 years ago with president l.b.j.'s state of union address. that's what should happen today. i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: thank you, madam president. as

and dale bumpers, later a senator -- he was a senator when jimmy was elected. but he was governor at the same time jimmy was. and at governor's conferences, they would get together. and he work with us at the center for disease control and developed a good immunization program. she talked me into doing it at home. and so after we got to the white house, she called me. of course i was ready to work on immunization in the white house. that was when my great victories. immunization was required by school-age in only 15 states. there was a little bit about argument about whether it was 15 or 17. the first year we were working with the secretary of hhs and we got it in all 50 states. that was exciting. we had this big meeting in washington -- i go from one subject to another. we have this big meeting in washington to celebrate at people from all over the country. the next day there was not one word in the paper about it. i was so upset. so i called joe califano. i said, "i know there was a camera there." he said it was ours. but nobody was interested in immunization

the feast is such a big deal in arkansas political culture that longtime senator dale bumpers invokedn 15 years? >> as i come here with some sense of reluctance, the president and i have been close friends for 25 years. we even crashed a twin engine beech bonanza trying to get to the gillett coon supper, a political event that won at his own risk. and we crashed this plane on a snowy evening in a rural airport. off the runway, sailing out across the snow jumped out, j jumped up, and ran away unscathed. to the dismay of every politician in arkansas. >> back in 1987 then governor bill clinton showed up and commented on the main course. >> for those who have never had the opportunity to try coon, we asked some to tell us what it tastes like. >> it taste as little like squirrel except squirrel is a little tougher and more stringy. but if you can cross a squirrel with a chicken, that would be coon. >> it's sweeter than beef or pork. >> those were bill clinton's pre-vegan days. why just pryor and cotton? this was something we had to experience ourselves. not me. i only eat about five things