members of the ku klux klan and forget about former senator robert byrd, the grand dragon of the ku kluxny years ago? >> but he was still the grand dragon. if he had been a republican he would still be vilified today. if you're a liberal grand dragon and republican grand dragon. >> how many black people do you have to lynch to be a grand in the ku klux klan. that's my question. i want to piggyback off what my ideological brethren have been saying and i think we need to hold both accountable. we need to hold the republican establishment accountable for not doing enough to convey how some republican policies can benefit the black communities and hold black people accountab accountable. don't dismiss something someone is saying by virtue of them being -- by virtue of them being republican and don't automatically accept what a democrat says. i believe in a la carte politics. look at what both sides have to say and make -- form late an objective opinion. i don't believe that i want all black people to become republicans. but i would like to see -- >> democrats. >> i would like to see xe ittit

the late senator robert byrd spoke about the plan. >> under the virginia plan, both houses of congressould be apportioned by a population. an arrangement that would favor the larger states. >> the smaller states felt threatened. william paterson countered with the new jersey plan. >> the delegates rejected the new jersey plant them about the small states had enough boats to keep the virginia plan from succeeding. >> the convention split 5-5. the delegates appointed a special committee. to solve the dispute. >> the compromise determined how the legislative bans -- branches run today. >> a compromise in apportioned the house by population and gave the senate a quality. >> this would be known as the great compromise. >> the great compromise is one of the more. momentous events in our country's history. >> this helped create the government of checks and balances that we have today. we have a political climate today like the founding fathers would many opposing viewpoints. we can agree -- >> is imperative that we work together to find a compromise. >> people need to compromise. >> compromis

you mentioned robert byrd. he knew the history of the congress and how it worked.as anyone fill that void? guest: there are a lot of candidates. he was a very unusual senator. he went to law school at night while he was a u.s. senator. he felt because he did not get a formal education as a young man the rest of his life was learning. he continued to read. he got very interested in not only that history but the rules and the presidents of the senate. of thethe presidentence senate. usually every friday afternoon he would stand up and give some speech about some aspect of the history of the united states senate. these were compiled. almost no one else has matched that kind of devotion to it, but certainly among the senators, especially among the senior senators, people like senator alexander and other people who have been here for a while and to our real institutional list, you often feel in their speeches they will talk about the historical precedents of whatever the issue is today. there is a lot of continuity. if you are debating something today, it is not the fir

immediately told by powerful senators who control his budget-- mitch mcconnell of kentucky and robert byrdof west virginia-- "oh, no, you're not. we'll cut your budget if you try to tamper with our baby." it's as if tony soprano had a seat in the senate. if this congress can't even clean up the most egregious polluter in its own backyard, how can they deal with the problem across the entire united states? >> smith: but in 2008, there was a new push on capitol hill to rein in carbon emissions. >> sir, i started by members... >> ...that were highly controversial in the energy committee. >> smith: senator john warner had drafted legislation, along with senator joe lieberman, to mandate a 60% cut in greenhouse gases by mid-century. >> well, we have a prodigious task. >> smith: and while how the industry does that is unclear, the bill's authors are betting on it. is there a future for coal? >> there's got to be a future for coal in the us. it's too important to us. and again, i think once you create this law, this mandate, the coal industry and a lot of others are going to figure out how to use

you mentioned robert byrd. he knew the history of the congress and how it worked. anyone fill that void? guest: there are a lot of candidates. he was a very unusual senator. he went to law school at night while he was a u.s. senator. he felt because he did not get a formal education as a young man the rest of his life was learning. he continued to read. he got very interested in not only that history but the rules and the presidents of the senate. of thethe presidentence senate. usually every friday afternoon he would stand up and give some speech about some aspect of the history of the united states senate. these were compiled. almost no one else has matched that kind of devotion to it, but certainly among the senators, especially among the senior senators, people like senator alexander and other people who have been here for a while and to our real institutional list, you often feel in their speeches they will talk about the historical precedents of whatever the issue is today. there is a lot of continuity. if you are debating something today, it is not the first

you mentioned robert byrd. he knew the history of the congress and how it worked. has anyone fill that void? guest: there are a lot of candidates. he was a very unusual senator. he went to law school at night while he was a u.s. senator. he felt because he did not get a formal education as a young man the rest of his life was learning. he continued to read. he got very interested in not only that history but the rules and the presidents of the senate. of thethe presidentence senate. usually every friday afternoon he would stand up and give some speech about some aspect of the history of the united states senate. these were compiled. almost no one else has matched that kind of devotion to it, but certainly among the senators, especially among the senior senators, people like senator alexander and other people who have been here for a while and to our real institutional list, you often feel in their speeches they will talk about the historical precedents of whatever the issue is today. there is a lot of continuity. if you are debating something today, it is not the f

in the meantime, i am cosponsoring a piece of legislation with senator jay rockefeller, the robert c. byrd mine and workplace safety and health act of 2011. it is designed to improve compliance with existing mine and occupational safety and health laws, empower workers to raise safety concerns, prevent future mine and other workplace tragedies and establish the rights of the families of victims of workplace accidents. last week i spoke again to tommy davis, the man who lost his brother, his nephew, and his son at the upper big branch mine. when i asked him what he was doing these days, tommy gave me a simple answer. he said, joe, i'm back in the mines. tommy's proud to be a miner. and while he and all of us have much to mourn today, we also have the chance to honor the memories of the 29 dedicated men who died a year ago and their colleagues who continue their work with respect and dignity. finally, gail and i and all west virginians pray for continued strength and courage for the families who lost loved ones on this sad day a year ago. may god bless each one of them. may god bless the gre

it's incomprehensible to me that we still haven't passed the robert c. byrd miner safety health act. how many miners have to die before we take action? worker safety, not just in mines, but in workplaces above ground and across the nation, is under siege thanks to irresponsible cuts in the republican continuing resolution. fully half of osha staff would be furloughed if h.r. 1 becomes law. a weak economy like this one we're living in now also further undermines workers' safety because workers who want to report violations know there are dozens who would take their jobs in spite of unsafe conditions just to have work. mr. speaker, last congress i was chair and now this congress i'm the ranking minority member of the work force protection subcommittee, and in that role i'm absolutely committed, along with congressman george miller and nicky rahall, to bringing osha and msha into the 21st century, strengthening regulations, protect people from injury, sickness and possible death on the job. needless to say, the upper big branch explosion has devastated a tight n