Political Quotes

“I notice my distinguished friend was indignant over the Supreme Court debate. I think each of us has a right to have his own opinion. Here is mine. There is such a thing called the Thurmond-Leahy rule. It has been in place for a while. I think it reads that after June of a Presidential election year, the Senate will not confirm a President's nominees. That is a bipartisan rule that has been enforced by the Senate for several years. Senator McConnell moved it up three months, from June to March--that is true--even though Democratic leaders said that is exactly what they would have done if the shoe had been on the other foot. Democrats are saying that as a result of that--the 3-month change-- which is what they said they would have done anyway, they are going to do something that has never been done before: They are going to deny a Supreme Court Justice a nomination by not allowing a majority vote. That has never happened in 230 years. Our nominations have always been decided by a majority vote. There was a little incident in 1968 with Abe Fortas when President Johnson sought to elevate him to Chief Justice, but that has been the tradition in the Senate. We have always approved Presidential nominees by a majority vote, and we have always approved Cabinet members by a majority vote, even controversial ones. We have never required them to get 60 votes--ever--and the same with Federal district judges.…”