December 10, 1974
Page 38932
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the hearings on the confirmation of Vice President-designate Nelson A. Rockefeller have been concluded in the Senate, the Senate Rules Committee has unanimously reported out his nomination, and we must now make our decision.
On the basis of the facts now before us, and I believe we have enough to render a judgment. I intend to vote for confirmation of Governor Rockefeller to serve as the 41st Vice President of the United States.
I make this decision after careful consideration of the information disclosed during the Senate and House hearings and from my familiarity with Governor Rockefeller's 30 years of public service. In all these, I believe him suited for the Vice Presidency.
I see the record of a man who has dedicated his life to public service.
Governor Rockefeller has served five of our last six Presidents in both domestic and international posts. In these assignments, his record was marked with accomplishments.
As an assistant secretary of State from 1944 to 1945, he participated in the founding of the United Nations at San Francisco. In the 1950's he was chairman of a presidential advisory committee that recommended the establishment of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, where he later served as Under Secretary. Throughout a number of assignments that involved Latin America, Governor Rockefeller has had a major role in linking our two continents closer together.
As a former governor, I can appreciate Governor Rockefeller's toil for 15 years on behalf of the people of New York. I admire his accomplishments – and his stamina.
As Governor of New York, he applied a distinctive brand of imagination and leadership.
The benefits of his leadership extended beyond New York State boundaries, as well. With New York often leading the way, many other State governments learned to adjust to new challenges that called for new roles. Whether it was called "Creative Federalism" or "New Federalism," the transition to the new relationship between Federal, State, and local governments was made easier by Governor Rockefeller's efforts.
Were these the only matters for debate, Governor Rockefeller would have been confirmed long ago. However, they are not. The debate has centered on his personal wealth and the possibility that he has misused it.
Governor Rockefeller has been subjected to an unfortunate form of criticism. It assumes that the rich are unfit for public office, for no other reason than their wealth. Anyone who is wealthy is assumed to be insensitive to social problems and arrogant of the public's right to participate in Government.
There are many wealthy people who should not be Vice President, but the same could be said for many middle-income and poor people, and those of any sex, religion, race, occupation, and age.
As the Washington Post editorialized:
The point is simply that it is the character and qualifications of the individual that matter most and these are not the criteria that can be fairly applied on the basis of race or sex or social and economic background or professional experience, or regional origin.
As his record in office shows, Governor Rockefeller has the necessary character and qualifications. He has demonstrated in concrete and enduring ways that he is sensitive to the complex social and economic problems of the people.
He has been challenged most seriously with two specific misuses of his wealth: Presenting associates and friends with large gifts, and his brother's financing of a defamatory book about Arthur Goldberg.
These are both serious issues that merit careful consideration.
About the giving of gifts, Governor Rockefeller has stated that the purpose was to reward the service of longtime associates. While this is not a desirable way to run a government, Governor Rockefeller has demonstrated that personal gain was not the object of this generosity, and has acknowledged the legitimate questions it has raised by pledging no such gifts in the future, except to help friends in extreme need.
The book about Arthur Goldberg was a troubling incident. It was an unjustified smear of a man who has also dedicated his life to public service. It was a "dirty trick" that has no place in political campaigns between two men of such obvious stature.
I have thoroughly considered the incident in the perspective of this nomination. Governor Rockefeller has acknowledged the misguided nature of the decision to permit the book's financing. He has apologized. And there is little further he can do to repair the error.
Weighed against Governor Rockefeller's lifetime record, I do not find sufficient information to disqualify him from the Vice Presidency.
Instead, there is the overwhelming weight of a lifetime record of positive accomplishments that reflects his obvious dedication to public service.
I am now convinced that I can vote for confirmation in good conscience and with the public good in mind.