Date: 1983-04-12
Speaker: WON PAT (democrat)
Chamber: H

talked about tonight. The sound and the fury was there of campaign reform that DAVE OBEY worked with him on. The sound and the fury behind civil liberties and health care and reapportionment was there. I guess the thing that I am so amazed about is what kind of a mind this was. such an incredible mind. I literally do not know how a human mind could possibly be packed with as much information. as many ideas. The store of information was just absolutely Incredible and the inventiveness and the innovation that was a part of the mix. I just do not think there will be anything to compare with it for years and years to come. He literally did know twice as much as any of his adversaries on any of the issues that he faced. He literally knew twice as much about my district when I first ran as I did. I can remember that he took me under his wing when I first ran in a diptrict that never had elected a Democrat and told me how to win and I did because I followed his advice. And then I remember a few years later after a couple of relatively easy races going to PHIL and explaining I had a tough race. I see colleagues here on the floor who come from districts like mine. and I know he gave them the same kind of help. But I came back to Pan. I think it was about 6 years later and we had agreed on the phone that we would meet on the floor during the next vote and that I was going to tell him about the problem that I saw in my next election race. Before I could even open my mouth he beganto recall the complexities of my congressional district. He remembered. He had legislation in the California Legislature that he was promoting. He knew his district and he was able to remember and deal with reapportionment as well in Wisconsin. as DAVE OBEY said. I simply do not know how a mind like that came to be or how it will ever be duplicated. The other thing PHIL BURTON means to me is an example. I guess. of the kind of politics I would like this body to. and particularly Members on my side of the aisle. to avoid and instead try to emulate. PHIL BURTON was not the kind of politician who thought politics was the pretty speech. PHIL BURTON was not the kind of politician whose intellectual interests in an issue snapped off when the television lights snapped off. PHIL BuRToNs work and interest was there from the beginning through the glory moments. but always there through the very end of any goal or issue or cause that he picked up. I think I read in the paper today that he was the antithesis of the politician who walks into a committee room with an issue at stake. takes from the staff a onepage briefing memo. studies it intensely. says the requisite lines. gets the issue behind him. and then goes on and quickly forgets. only to move again when he gets another onepage issue brief stuck in his hand by staff. That was not PHIL BURTON. and if we can just reflect on this mans career and now his loss. and each of u7 realize in a very deep way what kind of politician he was and the kind of politics that he practiced. the kind I have just described. this place will be so infinitely better. I think as we have gone through this long evening. perhaps an unparalleled everning as each of us have taken the well to pay tribute to our friend. I really hope as we have attempted to try to bind up some of the emotional wounds we feel at a time like this that we can reflect on the kind of politics that PHIL BURTON practiced. the depth of the intellectual interest. the length of his commitment and maybe bring some of that into our own work on the important fights that we have before us.