THE EVENING GOES ON:

Now they are showing a film on Barrientos, narrated by his son. Yep, he did a lot of good. Somehow, though, this seems more like a career summing after he's retired or something. Well, I've always liked him. Let some younger folk find out more about him. Yep, that's what it was -- it says he's retiring from the Senate.

Now the Senator speaks. He says that film was a surprise he didn't know about. He's going to introduce his family (which could take a very long time).

He says he will never retire from public service, but has given his last filibuster on the floor of the Texas Senate. He lists a lot of people he's worked with who made a difference. It's been three decades since he first ran for office. He speaks about the importance of public service, and so on. Very well, even if we've heard it before. This is a good man. Sorry he's going.

Jobs and justice need to be the key to our vision, those two words should underscore everything we stand for. The Republican job plan: if it pays well, fire them, and if you have so much money you don't need a job, get a tax cut. (There was more -- he speaks, without stutters or hesitancy, faster than I can keep up. And he's reading, something I suspect he wrote himself.)

Education is the primary engine; Republicans see it as an opportunity for more privatization and tax cuts. Now he's doing detailed critiques of Perry's policies.
"This is class warfare." His stats he's given before; some of us have linked his remarks before on this.

Now he sticks it to the Republicans over immigration. "Have you had enough America?" We built the strongest and most free society in the history of the world.

Now he hits the Republicans for tokenism.

We need to share the abundance of our society among the many. If there is ill will toward America it is because we fail to live up to our ideals. You do not spread democracy with torture ... spread it by sharing opportunity and respect.

It is our job to do for the public what we would want for ourselves. It is time to pay it forward for America.

And he goes out, as he came in, with some nice Spanish guitar music.