Griffin Roast, Circus Saints and Sinners Club, Washington, D.C.

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~
,_,~~~
REMARKS OF SENATOR HUBERT H. HuMPHREY.Jf.7;~U ~
ROAST FOR SENATOR BOB GRIFFIN ~
~Jl~
•"•
~7,--
CI RCUS SAINTS &SINNERS CLUB
WASHINGTON~ D. C.
/
(
-1-
--
I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TODAYJ AMONG THE HONORED NUMBER
~
__._.,.
_,. - _a--
OF SAI NTS/ AND AMONG SO MANY OF MY FELLOW SINNERS.
2- You
.
5
- --- ..- -.....
KNOWJ THE SAINTS AND SINNERS HAS MANY GLORIOUS
ATTRI BUTES 4 BUT CHIEF AMONG THEM IS ONE MAJOR ADVANTAGE WH ICH
,
....._
IT HAS OVER THE FEDERAL GOVER NME NT.- IT HAS NO 22ND AMENDMENTJ
LIMITING THE TERMS OF ITS PRESIDENT.
-2-
~
ND FOR GOOD
REASON 1 ~0
ONE OF GOOD SENSE
WOULD WANT TO PUT AN UNTIMELY END TO THE TENURE
L~ERJ MY OLD AND DEAR FRIENDJ BARNEE BREESKIN/ WHO HAS BEEN
ELECTED TO HIS THIRD TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THIS CLUB.
~INCIDENTALLY~ ! ALWAYS HAVE BEEN TROUBLED BY THE HISTORY
OF THE 22ND AMENDMEN1•
lts
YOU MAY RECALLJ
,MI~ESOTA
WAS THE
..,.
LAST STATE WHICH WAS NEEDED TO RATIFY IT •
(
-3-
J(
WELL' THE GOOD PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA DEBATED.,IT AND THEY WRESTLED
WITH JT,t2:EY ARGUED ABOUT IT AND FOUGHT OVER IT FOR MANY
~
-~
~
LONG MONTHS -- UNTIL I WAS ELECTED TO THE SENATE,
~ND
THEN IT SEEMED LIKE THEY
L~T
NO TIME AT ALL IN
LIMITING THE TERM OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE
-------------
DURATION.~ ALWAYS HAVE WONDERED ABOUT THAT.}
-4('
~BUT/
DISAPPOINTING AS IT MAY BE
WE ARE NOT HERE TO
DIscuss THE L0\"1 PO I NTS OF MY CAREER IN POLl TIcs
ARE OTHER
~ '(~I
OuR
-
i& POINTS
S~CT
-
I
LTHERE
WHICH ARE DESERVING OF EQUAL ATTENTION.
,..---
-
FOR TODAY IS MY RE SPECTED, ESTEEMED AND
-
DISTINGUISHED COLLEAGUE~ BoB GRIFFIN~ FROM THE GREAT STATE
•
d
-
OF 1ICHIGAN -- KNOWN TO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS AS THE BIRTHPLACE
~
'"'' .,..,
OfA JOHN CONYERS ,
HIS TRAINING AS A FORWARD
ARTILLERY OBSERVER DETERMINED THE COURSE OF HIS
FUTURE,~HE
CAN BE COUNTED ON TO DROP AT LEAST ONE BOMB A WEEK IN THE
SENATE.
~~lAWYER FROM TRAVERSE CITY LEARNED HIS LESSON WELLv
kE CAN "TRAVERSE" BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE WITH EASE,
~LECTED
TO THE f!OUSE IN
-6195§) AND
ENTERING THE SENATE
10 YEARS
~~ BoB HAS HAD A CHECKERED BUT DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN PUBLIC
SERVICE
WHETHER IN ACHIEVING ENACTMENT OF THE LANDRUM-GRIFFIN
,----
AcT~ OR AS MINORITY WHIP IN THE SENATE.
---( Now~/
THE
WAS MAJORITY
........
,,..
HIP JQB IS ONE I HAPPEN TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT:
I
HIP MYSELF ...V YEARS AGO -- AND IN 1968 l WAS REWARDED
FOR MY YEARS OF SERVICE BY BEING MADE THE WHIPPING BOY OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTX·
-7~So~ BASED UPON MY CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE~ I CAN TELL YOU THAT
BoB REALLY DOESN'T NEED MUCH OF A WHIP -- THERE ARE JUST SIMPLY
~
S~N~TE·JIJ~r:•
....----- ·
TOO FEW REPUBLICANS IN THE
SEE BY THE CONFUSION ON YOUR FACES THAT SOME OF YOU DIDN'T
..
KNOW THAT WE ACTUALLY USE WHIPS IN THE SENATE TO ROUND UP VOTES,
~E
DEMOCRATIC WHIP ISN'T MUCH TO LOOK AT -- JUST THE SORT OF THING
YOU'D EXPECT TO USE TO MOVE A BUNCH OF DONKEYS AROUND •
..gaT
~UT
(
-8BoB usEs THE SPECIAL REpuBLICAN
~IN
-
THE BEST
.
TRADITIONS OF HIS PARTYJ OF COURSE, 'IT's A BUGGY WHIPJ FOR A
~
HoRSE AND BUGGY PARTY/' HHEN YOU SNAP IT J IT DOESN'T SAY "CRACK"
=..
--
-.:
IT SAYS "VETo!"
~OB
IS WHAT THE PRESS CALLS A "MODERATE REPUBLICAN,"
THAT'S
ANOTHER NAME FOR A MAN WHO FINDS HIMSELF SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN
TWO
EXTREMES~T
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE.WAFFL:: ON THE
ISSUES
-9-
~
FACT, [ ASKED HIM JUST THE OTHER DAY HOW HE STOOD
ON THE PRIMARY FIGHT BETWEEN REAGAN AND
FoRD.~ND
HE TOLD
ME STRAIGHT OUT: HE HAS FRIENDS ON BOTH SIDES AND HE STANDS
WITH HIS FRIENDS,
,...,.
••
~So
I
t
/
BoB IS THE IDEAL MAN TO BE MINORITY WH IP, THE
PERFECT SENATOR TO MODERATE BET\IIEEN SUCH REGULAR RzPUBLI CAtj#
AS BARRY GOLDWATER AND JACOB JAVITS,
-lOIN FACT) I HEARD AN INTERESTING STORY ABOUT HOW BoB GOT THE
(
JOB IN THE FIRST
PLACE,~IT
SEEMS THAT SOME ENTERPRISING STAFF
ASSISTANiT JN THE MINORITY LEADER's
OFFICE FOUND THE DICTIONARY
DEFINITION OF THE WORD "GRIFFIN-;, -- 1,/A FABLED MONSTER) USUALLY
--
-=::a.
--
--
HAVING THE HEAD AND WINGS OF AN EAGLE AND THE BODY OF A LION."
._.,AND THE REPUBLICANS SAID TO THEMSELVES) "THIS IS JUST
WHAT THE JOB CALLS FOR.:_
~t-t.1-{., ~'
{/'
~FOLLOWING
-ll~J./b~
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF 11( BELOVED
ORATORICAL FLOURISHES HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT
Ev
BoB'S
DIRKSEN
SECOND-BEST,~W
COULD HE
T
EXPECT THE SENATE TO BE AS ENRAPTURED OVER HIS NOTABLE ACHIEVEMEN
CAMPAIGN AcT OF
WERE
I
TOWARD
1971)
OUR NATIONAL FLOWER?
AS WE
-12-
~THE
BROAD SCOPE OF HIS LEGISLATIVE INTERESTS IS WELL ESTABLISHED
WHETHER IN COLLEGE STUDENT
MEASURES TO COMBAT
AID~
THE CONTROL OF DRUG
CRIME~, O~AINTAIN
ABUSE~
OR
A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE.
"EVEN HIS CIVIL RIGHTS RECORD IS PRETTY;GOOD,
Bur~
YOU CAN BET YOUR LAST DOLLAR THAT IF OUR TRANSPORTATION
----
OPTIONS ARE LIMITED BY AN ENERGY
SHORTAG1~
ONE WAY BOB
'
GRIFFIN fiLL NEVER GO TO WORK IS ON A SCHOOL BUS,
-13-
~ To
BE SERIOUS FOR A
MOMENT~
WE'VE ALL HAD A LOT OF FUN AT BoB
GR FFIN'S EXPENSE . 0 AY -- AND I ALWAYS TAKE A LOT OF SATISFACTION
OUT OF DOING ANYTHING AT THE EXPENSE OF A REPUBLICAN/
Bur I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT BoB GRIFFIN IS/ ~E ALL~ A
MAN OF UNQUESTIONED HONESTY AND INTEGRITY,
AGREE~
......._
WE MAY NOT ALWAYS
BUT IT IS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH HIM -- IN THE SENATE •
# # # #
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