i am delighted that the library is coasting tonight's forum with the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate, which will be built just a stone's throw from here. i thank ken feinberg, the chair of the kennedy library foundation, also of the chair of the emk institute. if you will indulge me just a moment, i would like to say a special word of thanks to tom putnam, the director of the jfk library. also to everyone here at the library and library foundation who were so helpful to me and to all our family last august. on very short notice, they did the impossible, helping us to prepare the way for the people of the commonwealth to come here to pay their respects to ted. 50,000 people came through the library last august, and it would not have been possible without their tireless efforts. thank you so much. [applause] i would also like to say a brief word about the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. ted love to the senate. he called it one of our forefathers most brilliant democratic conventions. about seven years ago, ted and i start

i am delighted that the library is coasting tonight's forum with the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate, which will be built just a stone's throw from here. i thank ken feinberg, the chair of the kennedy library foundation, also of the chair of the emk institute. if you will indulge me just a moment, i would like to say a special word of thanks to tom putnam, the director of the jfk library. also to everyone here at the library and library foundation who were so helpful to me and to all our family last august. on very short notice, they did the impossible, helping us to prepare the way for the people of the commonwealth to come here to pay their respects to ted. fet thousand people came through the library last august -- 50,000 people came through the library, and it would not have been possible without their tireless efforts. thank you so much. [applause] i would also like to say a brief word about the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. ted love to the senate. he called it one of our forefathers most brilliant democratic con

i am delighted that the library is coasting tonight's forum with the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate, which will be built just a stone's throw from here. i thank ken feinberg, the chair of the kennedy library foundation, also of the chair of the emk institute. if you will indulge me just a moment, i would like to say a special word of thanks to tom putnam, the director of the jfk library. also to everyone here at the library and library foundation who were so helpful to me and to all our family last august. on very short notice, they did the impossible, helping us to prepare the way for the people of the commonwealth to come here to pay their respects to ted. fet thousand people came through the library last august -- 50,000 people came through the library, and it would not have been possible without their tireless efforts. thank you so much. [applause] i would also like to say a brief word about the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. ted love to the senate. he called it one of our forefathers most brilliant democratic con

chair of the kennedy library foundation board of directors and the chair of the board of the edward m. kennedy institute, i thank you for coming to this very special forum and thank those watching on c-span or listening on the radio. for me this fall will forever be a sacred space, the site chosen by senator kennedy himself and then duly consecrated by the tens of thousands who came to pay their last respects to him while he was lying in reposed in the center of this room. it was an honor for all of us associated with this institution to work with the centers legendary staff, many of whom are here with us tonight, and to be part of those hallowed days in august. when people ask me how we did, i give the credit to senator kennedy's wife vicki. restrengthen dignity and the indefatigable graciousness year extended begin extended emboldened all of us as a grieving nation. [applause] miers rolle this evening is to explain how the forum and book signing -- my role this evening is to explain how the forum and book signing will unfold. the lowell institute and the boston foundation. our focus this eve

i am delighted that the library is coasting tonight's forum with the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate, which will be built just a stone's throw from here. i thank ken feinberg, the chair of the kennedy library foundation, also of the chair of the emk institute. if you will indulge me just a moment, i would like to say a special word of thanks to tom putnam, the director of the jfk library. also to everyone here at the library and library foundation who were so helpful to me and to all our family last august. on very short notice, they did the impossible, helping us to prepare the way for the people of the commonwealth to come here to pay their respects to ted. 50,000 people came through the library last august, and it would not have been possible without their tireless efforts. thank you so much. [applause] i would also like to say a brief word about the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. ted love to the senate. he called it one of our forefathers most brilliant democratic conventions. about seven years ago, ted and i start

i am delighted that the library is coasting tonight's forum with the edward m. kennedyinstitute for the united states senate, which will be built just a stone's throw from here. i thank ken feinberg, the chair of the kennedy library foundation, also of the chair of the emk institute. if you will indulge me just a moment, i would like to say a special word of thanks to tom putnam, the director of the jfk library. also to everyone here at the library and library foundation who were so helpful to me and to all our family last august. on very short notice, they did the impossible, helping us to prepare the way for the people of the commonwealth to come here to pay their respects to ted. fet thousand people came through the library last august -- 50,000 people came through the library, and it would not have been possible without their tireless efforts. thank you so much. [applause] i would also like to say a brief word about the edward m. kennedy institute for the united states senate. ted love to the senate. he called it one of our forefathers most brilliant democratic conv

richard brookhighser, and later on we'll reair the discussion on the life and legacy of senator edward m. kennedy. >> in the mid 1990's, "newsweek" named him one of the most 50 influential people to watch in cyberspace. since then he's created the social networking site blackplanet.com, helped found a charter school in brooklyn and explained new technologies on oprah. sunday night he talks about his current studies at harvard and what's ahead on c-span's q&a. >> the commivet magazine held a conference earlier this month focusing on events that may shape 2010. up next we'll talk to a panel which includes david gregory, eric cantor and former press secretary joe lockhart. this lasts about an hour. >> let me introduce our panelists, first of all. congressman eric cantor. of course, very familiar to everyone, not just in this town, but in this country. republican whip and a busy year ahead of him certainly. joe lockhart was chief spokesman, as you all know, for the clinton white house and is now a founding partner and managing director of the global park group, which is a large and flourishing specia

chair of the kennedy library foundation board of directors and the chair of the board of the edward m. kennedypan or listening on the radio. for me this fall will forever be a sacred space, the site chosen by senator kennedy himself and then duly consecrated by the tens of thousands who came to pay their last respects to him while he was lying in reposed in the center of this room. it was an honor for all of us associated with this institution to work with the centers legendary staff, many of whom are here with us tonight, and to be part of those hallowed days in august. when people ask me how we did, i give the credit to senator kennedy's wife vicki. restrengthen dignity and the indefatigable graciousness year extended begin extended emboldened all of us as a grieving nation. [applause] miers rolle this evening is to explain how the forum and book signing -- my role this evening is to explain how the forum and book signing will unfold. the lowell institute and the boston foundation. our focus this evening is senator kennedy was the legendary life, extraordinary career, and enduring legacy, es

we passed the edward m. kennedy serve america act, tripling volunteerism opportunities to a quarter of a million people. we have passed health care for 11 million more children that without this bill would not have access to health care. the f.d.a. regulation of tobacco. the ryan white hiv-aids treatment extension act. the omnibus public lands management act. the fraud enforcement and recovery act. the military procurement reform bill. strengthening oversight of tarp. the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. i'd go on and on and on, but this has been an activist congress responding to the needs of the american people, responding to those who are struggling, who are out of work because they were neglected for so many years. and we are trying to deal with our debt as well, trying to go back to what president clinton established, a time of record surpluses. but when the republicans came in, the first thing they did was pass tax cuts for wealthy people without paying for it. the rich got richer while the middle class got poore

i ask unanimous consent that the speech delivered by senator edward m. kennedy on december 16, 1969, be entered into the record. the presiding officer: without objection, it is so ordered. mr. kirk: thank you, mr. president. and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts is recognized. mr. kirk: may i ask that the time reserved be divided equally between the majority and the minority and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: without objection, it is so ordered. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. johnson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota is recognized. mr. johnson: i rise to express my support -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. johnson: i move that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. johnson: i rise to express my support for the patient protection and affordable care act and to encourage my colleagues to support this effort to address our health care system's immed

in between, tom served as special counsel to the late senator edward m. kennedy for civil rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues. and that's when i had the good fortune to get to know tom. he was then elected a member of montgomery county at the m-mike emery council in maryland and i have to admit that i also had the good fortune there to be one of tom's constituents. to top it all off, tom was a professor for six years at the university of maryland school of law and taught at george washington school of public health. in the history of the civil rights movement, there have been times of hope and times of despair. the progress and periods of terrible setback. that has also been true for the civil rights division. but the pendulum has now swung towards hope and progress. in good measure, thanks to the leadership of tom and his outstanding team and the civil rights division as well as the perseverance of the career employees who carried on the work during good times and during god. so it is a real special honor for the american constitution society, for

those are the words of senator edward m. kennedy.the today of which he spoke was december 16, 1969, exactly 40 years ago today. it was his first major speech on health care reform, and i was privileged to be a young member of his staff. he delivered that speech to a group of physicians at boston university medical center. senator kennedy went on to say -- and i quote -- "if we are to reach our goal of bringing adequate health care to all our citizens, we must have full cooperation between congress, the administration, and the health profession. we already possess the knowledge and the technology to achieve our goal. all we need is the will. the challenge is enormous, but i am confident that we are all equal to the task." close quote. the world has progressed in many ways since he spoke those words four decades ago. but our health care system has not. in 1969, the united states spent $18 billion on health care. today we spend over $2 trillion a year. senator kennedy pointed out in 1969 that the nation faced a shortage of primary care

barbara suliotus worked on senator edward m. kennedy's first campaign for the senate in 1962. she was the first employee in senator kennedy's office in november of that year. and from the moment he joined this body until the end of his life, barbara served as a member of his staff and for the last 23 years she was the state director of his boston office. barbara recalls that on her first day at work here in washington, she spilled a glass of coca-cola on senator kennedy. when she started to apologize, he smiled his iconic smile and said "bar pwrarbgs you and i are going to get -- and said barbara, you and i are going to get along just fine." they certainly did. she served him brilliantly throughout his entire senate career, the only member to run the race as a staffer, though many of us reported back whenever barbara sent out the call. senator kennedy considered barbs to be his indispensable assistant. if anyone had a question relating to the massachusetts people whom he loved, he would inevitably ask "have you checked with barbs?" i know how proud ted would be that this tribut