Senator Basham’s statement is as follows:
I rise in support of Senate Resolution No. 10 and if I could make a couple of comments about John Dingell. He is known Downriver as “Big John.” Before he was known as “Big John,” he used to actually serve the 16th Congressional District, and he used to serve with Congressman Bill Ford. They used to work a lot together in the halls of Congress, and because John Dingell was tall in stature and Bill Ford short, they used to call them “Mutt and Jeff.”
When it came time for redistricting, they had to make a tough decision as to whether we went with Bill Ford or John Dingell Downriver. We have always been able to work things out. Bill Ford moved aside, and John Dingell has continued to serve without any opposition since 1955. The reason he serves without opposition and people move aside is John Dingell—when you have issues, whether it is his district, Downriver, the state of Michigan, or the country—he cares about the environment, he cares about the autos, and he is able to do the dance. Maybe that is why he wore out his hip. He is able to protect the manufacturers and still protect the environment and at the same time. A lot of people in the Congress need to come to Michigan and see what the autos are about and how it affects this whole country. John Dingell knows the autos, he knows Downriver, and he knows the state of Michigan.
I have tried to emulate both John and Chris Dingell. They have a great work ethic; it is hard to match. I have four congressional seats in my Senate district, but the one I go to consistently with federal issues that we need help on is John Dingell. He has great staff, a great family with Chris and Cindy, a great wife Deborah, and he has folks who are very loyal to him because he has been loyal to us.
I would certainly ask members maybe even to stand because it is not often that somebody breaks a record in the U.S. Congress. He breaks it from Michigan, but he also breaks it from Downriver. We would encourage all members to support Senate Resolution No. 10.