Tone in Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience

The noun “vilification” refers to abusive disparagement. A “rendezvous for vilification” is therefore a place where people meet to slander others. This characterization is a direct continuation of Smith’s assertion that the Senate has become a “forum of hate and character assassination.” She surrounds these descriptions with the repeated phrase “I am not proud,” adding a tone of shame and embarrassment to her criticism. In Smith’s eyes, being a Senator is no longer something to be proud of if the Senate is a mere “rendezvous for vilification.”