Cook: Mark Pryor Delivers Senate Farewell Address

On Monday, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor delivered his farewell address on the Senate floor in a speech that interwove his Christian faith and personal belief that both sides of the aisle have become hyper-partisan.

Those who politically agreed or disagreed with Mark Pryor were often bound together by one common belief which is that Pryor is a man with true class, dignity and graciousness. These qualities were on display during today’s farewell address as he ended his twelve-year career in the U.S.Senate.

From Pryor’s speech:

“Since election night, I have had many Arkansans come up to me and thank me for my service. I appreciate that but I need to thank them for letting me do what I have done for the last 12 years. It sounds like a cliché, but it isn’t – serving in the United States Senate has been the greatest honor of my life. It truly has been. I have loved it and always done it with a cheerful heart. As I go back to my beloved Arkansas, I have to thank the people of Arkansas for allowing me to work for you. But, I must confess, I will miss waking up every morning and thinking, ‘How can I make a difference for Arkansas and America today?'”

Before that, Pryor outlined problems he sees in the world’s greatest deliberative body:

“Please give me just a few minutes of your time on this next point. As great an institution as the Senate is, the Senate is broken. And the American people know it. In fact, this is an area where the American people are way ahead of Washington. People all around our nation look at Washington and they shake their heads. We sometimes cannot see the forest for the trees because we get bogged down in personalities or perceived wrongs. This isn’t a Barack Obama problem or a George Bush problem. In fact, all recent presidents have gone through periods of deep unpopularity. This is an all-of-us problem. The political environment today grinds the trust and confidence out of our system.”

Senator Pryor went on to say:

“The rules aren’t the problem around here. We are the problem. All 100 of us. Hyper-partisanship has gotten the best of us. When things get too partisan, good judgment and common sense go out the window. The biggest and most serious problem facing our nation today is the dysfunction in our political system in Washington. America has incredible potential, but we cannot reach it unless Washington starts to work again – for all of us. If we are to continue to be the greatest nation on earth, we must work together. That is, after all, the American way. That is our history. This country was created.”

Senator Pryor always fought to put Arkansas first and he will sorely missed.

You can watch Senator Pryor’s speech in its entirely here.