Political Quotes

“I am not sure this is the final word. In the Senate of the United States there is no final word, I would assume. But this points out something that is just absolutely understandable--common sense. When people ask me how on Earth we got 87 votes together for a farm bill, with the tremendous help of the ranking member, Senator Stabenow, it was pretty easy. We were holding hearings, as both of the Senators know. And people asked me: How do you get something like this done? It is just a huge undertaking. You have to listen to farmers. You have to sit on the wagon tongue and listen. Well, this time we didn't have to sit on the wagon tongue and listen. United, they said: What on Earth is going on? How did this proposal get loose? In other words, keeping us out of the continuing resolution, given the problems that we are having, what on Earth is going on? And so it wasn't much of a surprise to any of us when farmers--every one of them represented by the groups that the distinguished Senator has just listed--said: Whoa. Wait a minute. We are getting left out. I think the leader in a conference said something about, well, other than the fact that we are treating agriculture and farmers like bums--I mean, it was pretty clear what was going on, and it was terribly counterproductive. I don't know how people come up with these things. It is what it is. But we listened to farmers. We got the job done. We cooperated. It was bipartisan. Some of the nutrition programs were addressed.…”