A yes or no answer only, please. Is Rep. John Dingell one of the best friends broadcasters ever had on the Hill? Yes.
In prepared remarks for the "State of the District" speech to the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress ever, which makes him the longest-serving friend to broadcasters, ever, announced he would be retiring at the end of this Congress, which he said, so far, has been "a great disappointment to everyone, members, media, citizens, and our country."
But he also called Congress "the greatest legislative body in the world," in which it has been his privilege to serve.
Here is the majority of that speech (local Michigan project accountings omitted), according to a prepared text.
Greetings to all guests, those at the head table, distinguished guests, elected officials and friends.
What a great thing to be home amongst the people that Deborah and I love and have loved for so many years. This has been our home, full of loving friends and people whose goodness to all of us Dingells means so much.
We need to understand how blessed we are to be Americans, the richest, finest, most fortunate people in history. We need to criticize harshly those who do not brag of these facts and rejoice in our blessings.
And we need to love our country with great affection and intensity. Anyone doing less does disservice to themselves, the country, and their fellow Americans. Americans must change and they must insist that those who seek office and power do so. When that happens, things will start to turn for the better. We have much to be grateful for, and we owe it to ourselves, to each other, and to our fellow Americans to demand this of those seeking the privilege of power and office to make this change.
Too many office holders have rejected this and have refused to carry out their duty to the country, to each other, and to all of us, past, present, and future. Let us love our country. Our system, its blessings, its riches and the good it deserves and that it gives to each of us.
This Congress has been a great disappointment to everyone, members, media, citizens, and our country. Little has been done in this Congress, with 57 bills passed into law. That is not Heinz packaged varieties, it is the laws passed by the Congress.
There will be much blaming and finger pointing back and forth, but the Members share fault, much fault; the people share much fault, for encouraging a disregard of our country, our Congress, and our governmental system.
It is my hope that this session of Congress, on which we have now begun, will reflect on these important ideas and understand that we are all in this together.
No one can say to a fellow American, “Pardon me your end of the boat is sinking.” We narrowly saved the auto industry; it thrives today, turning out cars that are superb, and the wonder of the world.
We narrowly escaped the Great Recession—note those words—I went through the Great Depression. There’s only a couple of letters difference in the two names, but a major difference in the impact on the country. But we saw a lot of hard work, and real bipartisan leadership by the then-outgoing Republican Secretary of Treasury; by Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, and by our then-incoming Secretary of Treasury, working together with President Obama and members of both parties to pass ARRA and TARP, and we may all thank God they did.
The economy is coming back. I hope you went to the Auto Show to see the extraordinary American Cars and see your fellow Americans taking pride in what we are doing together, showing the world just what we can do.
Let's be proud of our beloved country—what we have done, and what has been done for us by earlier Americans wiser than we. We have freedoms that are the wonder of the world and a standard of living that is envied by all.
So to be brief: let us work together. What unites us is far greater than what divides us. No President should have to tell a Congress that if that august body cannot do its task he will do it by executive order.
Congress means ‘a coming together.’ Look it up. It’s there in the dictionary. Let us share a few words and thoughts.
Compromise is an honorable word, as are cooperation, conciliation, and coordination. Let us recognize that our founding fathers intended that those words would be the way the business of our country would be conducted. Rights were given in the Constitution to be used well, to govern wisely, and to work together.
It worked on July 4, 1776, it worked in 1789, and we can—and should—work together today.
Much more needs to be done. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our tax laws are a confusing shamble, our election laws are a mess without rhyme or reason, and our people can see elections be stolen from them. A coming together is called for, and we must do it. No one else will do it for us.
The Congress must live up to its name. It must be a great coming together of our people.
We did temporarily avoid sequestration, as my colleagues and the country found that it was just too nasty for our government not to act. There is so much to be said for our beloved country, and at times we need to bring ourselves back on the path to greatness that the United States shared for centuries.
It is my belief that that is precisely what must be done to continue our economic recovery and move our country forward.
It was a sign of progress as my colleague Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray worked together on a budget compromise that helped to stave off many of the harmful cuts of the sequester, and returned a bit of certainty to our finances.
While this deal was in no way perfect, I found it to be an encouraging step towards returning to regular order and properly and securely funding our nation’s expenses in a fair and timely fashion.
For too long, bad politics has allowed this Congress to careen from one manufactured crisis to another, whether it’s a stubbornness to agree on a budget, a necessary raise of our debt ceiling, or any other matter that would restore certainty.
Nationwide, we’ve seen some 3.3 million Americans enroll in health care plans under the Affordable Care Act, with more than 115,000 of those enrollees right here in Michigan.
Of course there’s still work to be done to ensure that enrollment numbers continue to increase, but this most recent surge in enrollments is a telling sign that this program will be successful as more people find out about it and select the care they can afford and deserve.
You all know that I have made it my life’s work to ensure affordable health care for all, and the progress being made encourages me greatly.
Despite the political fighting over this topic, the American people are already benefiting from this law.
Kids can stay on their parents’ insurance to age 26. No one can be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition. The insurance company can’t cancel your coverage just because you got sick, or while you’re on a gurney making your way into an operating room. No longer are there lifetime caps on coverage.
These are real benefits that we’ve never seen before. I fought for inclusion of what is known as the Patients’ Bill of Rights because I believe that we have had too many people die or be left helpless due to want of necessary care. We need a system that works, and the Affordable Care Act is a step in that right direction
Why do I say these things now? All of these things we have discussed today are critical to our future. We have laid the foundation to do it as we have so many times in the past, by putting aside our differences and working together for the common good. I am confident this will happen again.
I would like now to invoke a point of personal privilege to talk a little about myself, which is something I am usually reluctant to do. There are plenty of people in Congress who love to talk about themselves and I have tried very hard not to join their ranks over the years. But I am setting aside that rule today to share my personal plans for the future with you, my dear friends.
Around this time every two years, my wife Deborah and I confer on the question of whether I will seek reelection. My standards are high for this job. I put myself to the test and have always known that when the time came that I felt I could not live up to my own personal standard for a Member of Congress, it would be time to step aside for someone else to represent this district.
That time has come.
I am fully aware of the honor that has been bestowed on me every two years by the people of Southeast Michigan when they gave me their votes to serve them in Washington. There is no greater privilege than a life spent in service, and I know how fortunate I have been to spend my life as a Member of Congress. I have done my best for the people who live here - my neighbors, my friends, those who supported me, and those who didn't. The fabric of Michigan is the fabric of my life, and it has never frayed.
Public service is undervalued in our modern times, and I can understand that when I look at what our Congress has become. But it doesn't have to be that. I am hopeful that this fever breaks at some point, and Congress goes back to what it should be: the House of the People, standing up for the average man and woman. That's how I've always defined the job, and it's a damn good definition.
I have ten months more in Congress, and I'm not going to waste a minute. There's still a lot to be done and a lot I want to do.
Make no mistake, I love the Congress. It is the greatest legislative body in the world. It has been a privilege to serve them. I have loved the institution, the people I have served, the grand and good people of Southeast Michigan, of the 15th, 16th, 15th and then 12th districts. They are good people—the best I have known—and they care for the nation, their state, and their communities. They work hard, play by the rules, and deserve everything their hard work gives them.
Their elected officials are some of the finest people in the world, in and out of office. And their goodness to me and my family when I raised four kids alone will never be forgotten. I owe so much to the people of Southeast Michigan. Loyal, decent, good, kind and wonderful they are.
I also want to take advantage of this time to express my thanks and gratitude to the hundreds of people who have served on my staff, working long hours to serve the people of Michigan. Will those of you in the room who are current staff and alumni please stand so that we can give them the applause they deserve?
I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the many colleagues, past and present, who have worked with me for civil rights and equity for all, cleaner water, for cleaner air, to protect consumers, to expand our nation's energy supply, and—above all—to make sure that every person in the United States has access to affordable health care.
And to my dear friend and wise adviser, whose wisdom, goodness, and caring have made it possible to serve with compassion and skill. Who has done so much to give me strength and comfort in my service and whose wisdom has lighted my way thru the difficult challenges I have faced as I have serve you. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the Lovely Deborah. She has been tireless, devoted, and worked just as hard—if not harder—for this district throughout the years.
And of course, I express my thanks and gratitude to the people of Michigan for letting Deborah and I serve them, and for the support and friendship and trust we have experienced in this wonderful job.
My friends, that begins with you. Thank you.
But for now, let me tell you how much I love you all. We have fought many battles over the years as we tried to do what was right for the families who live here. We've been through tough times and have emerged, battered and bruised, but stronger for the fight.
Let me close with this: I am not leaving Congress. I am coming home to Michigan.
Thank you.
