mr. durbin: amen. mr. mccain: number two is that to insist, to insist that any agreement is based on the passage through the united states senate of a balanced budget amendment to the constitution of the united states, as i said before, is not fair to the american people because, because the terrible obstructionists on this side of the aisle, the terrible people, their flawed philosophical views about the future of america is not going to allow to us get 20 additional votes from your side, assuming that you get all 47 since it requires 67 votes to pass a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. so i think it was not only wrong assessment, continuing's not fair to the american people to -- i think it's not fair to the american people to say we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the constitution through the senate at this time. now maybe after the senator is defeated in the next election and we get rid of a lot of -- maybe that will happen. but certainly let's not tell the american people that tha

mr. durbin: amen. mr. mccain: number two is that to insist, to insist that any agreement is based on the passage through the united states senate of a balanced budget amendment to the constitution of the united states, as i said before, is not fair to the american people because, because the terrible obstructionists on this side of the aisle, the terrible people, their flawed philosophical views about the future of america is not going to allow to us get 20 additional votes from your side, suming that you get all 47 since it requires 67 votes to pass a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. so i think it was not only wrong assessment, continuing's not fair to the american people to -- i think it's not fair to the american people to say we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the constitution through the senate at this time. now maybe after the senator is defeated in the next election and we get rid of a lot of -- maybe that will happen. but certainly let's not tell the american people that that

mr. durbin: madam president, this is an historic vote and it's one that has involved a lot of emotion and a lot of soul-searching and a lot of hard work. our leaders are on the floor, democrat and republican leaders in the senate -- senators reid and mcconnell. i want to salute both of them for working so hard to bring us to this moment where we have an opportunity to vote. the house has passed this legislation, so-called budget control act. the senate will take it up shortly. it is my belief that it will also pass in the united states senate. but my vote for this legislation does not come without some pain. you're told in life to follow your conscience. well, madam president, on this matter my conscience is conflicted. if this bill should fail, we will default on our nation's debt. that will be the first time that has ever happened. and if we should default at midnight tonight on our nation's debt, terrible things will ensue. we will find america's credit rating in the world diminished. the interest rates tkh we pay as a -- which we pay as a nation increased, the cost of money for busine

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president first let me say a word about the leadership in the senate. i have the good fortune of working with senator harry reid as our majority leader in my role as whip or assistant. i am close at hand when most of the major decisions are being made. and i've come to take the measure of this man from nevada, from searchlight nevada, and have found him to be an extraordinary leader. at first blush, most people would not choose him for ringing oratory or commanding presence, but i will tell you that he has created a leadership style in the senate which is exceptional. i watched him during the span of the last two and a half years particularly as he has faced a myriad of challenges, with a new president of his own party passing a stimulus bill when we didn't have 60 votes on the democratic side and had to rely on a cross-over vote from three republican senators; dealing with the tarp crisis, the recession and what needed to be done to save financial institutions from dissolution; his e

mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i'm going to suggest the absence of a quorum and ask that the time under the quorum be equally divided and controlled by between both sides of the aisle. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: mr. begich: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. begich: madam president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. begich: if we could have the quorum call vacated, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: madam president, i've come to the floor a couple times and talked many times to my constituents back home in alaska about the importance of ensuring that we have a balanced approach how we deal with this incredible debt crisis that we're in, how we manage to create some certainty not only for today but into the years to come. we wanted to make sure not only did we create certainty but we also did what we can to protect the working families,

. >> steve: yeah, well -- >> jimmy: i think it's like double d., like mrs -- >> steve: like diana durbinere you go. [ laughter ] mrsdoubled -- she says, once went camping with my husband's family, stayed up late drinking with his sisters, accidentally crawled into my father-in-law's tent. [ laughter ] >> steve: oh. double ds. [ laughter ] henry. >> jimmy: double "d." >> steve: i've got two new pillows, ruth! [ laughter ] those aren't pillows! [ laughter ] i can see naples from here. >> jimmy: no, no, that's not true. [ laughter ] this one's from @farmhand86. he says, grandpa was blowing out the fire on his marshmallow and blew his false teeth into the fire. [ laughter ] looks like grandpa's having soup tonight, camping. >> steve: save it. save it. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: ew. [ laughter ] this one's form @soonerrn9, she says, friend lost her dog, marco, while camping. she was calling for him and all the other drunk campers were yelling polo. [ laughter ] >> steve: marco? polo! marco? >> jimmy: polo! >> steve: no, shut up! >> jimmy: polo. >> marco. >> jimmy: polo. >> steve: marco. >> jimmy:

mr. chairman. [laughter] >> no -- >> i would yield to senator durbin if -- i would be delighted to yield, not grudgingly yield. [laughter]

durbin did you wish to speak? senator blumenthal is a valued member of his committee and former attorney general of the state of connecticut. mrthal go ahead. >> thank you mr. chairman for your leadership and senator feinstein and other members of the committee who have joined in this cause and thank you to all of the witnesses who are here today particularly to mr. sorbo on the town of berlin, connecticut. it is a small town but there are those of us who love it. and, i want to say at the very outset might thanks to you, all of you, for giving a face and a voice to some abstract and seemingly complicated as the polls and constitutional law and basic liberty and rights. you have given a face and voice in terms of the practical consequences of the respect for marriage act. i regard this hearing as really a historic day for our nation. nations, like teeple, are judged by their capacity for growth and i think today marks another step in the growth of our nation and the progression toward recognizing some couples they go to the very core of what makes our nation the greatest in the history of the world. so, i thank you, all of you