Political Quotes

“Senator Harkin is very straightforward about his difference of opinion. He believes we ought to bring every debate eventually to 51 votes. So I would respectfully term his amendment as sort of a ``hang me now or hang me later.'' We know that eventually it is not 60 votes we are going to require, it is 51, and he says that is the way it ought to be. I disagree. So do many others. I will just cite two distinguished Senators who spoke on the floor of the Senate about 5 years ago when a number of Republicans got it in their minds that they would like to change the filibuster rule as it affects judges. This is what Senator Harry Reid said then: The filibuster is far from a procedural gimmick. It is part of the fabric of this institution that we call the Senate. For 200 years we've had the right to extend the debate. It's not a procedural gimmick. Some in this Chamber want to throw out 214 years of Senate history in the quest for absolute power. They want to do away with Mr. Smith as depicted in that great movie being able to come to Washington. They want to do away with the filibuster. They think they are wiser than our Founding Fathers. I doubt that's true. The then-Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, referring then to the Republican majority: Then if the majority chooses to end the filibuster, if they choose to change the rules and put an end to Democratic debate, then the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse.”