Political Quotes

“I thank Ms. Lee for bringing us together for this Special Order to honor a very, very special person, Congressman, Mr. Mayor, Ron Dellums. She has worked with him, so she saw close up his commitment to values to make the future better for everyone in our country. She also participated in his collaboration, that when an issue arose or even was anticipated, he engaged the entire community in the discussion, in the collaboration of what was best for the community, not deigning to tell them, but listening. He listened, and we all listened. When Ron Dellums came to the floor, it was an occasion. Everything stopped, as we wanted to hear what he had to say, because we knew it would be substantial. But we also knew it would be eloquent and, on occasion, humorous. He was an absolute star in the Congress of the United States, like no other in the galaxy of stars here that many of us have served with. He shined so much brighter, and the world is a duller place for his leaving us. What is important about Ron are some of the things that our colleague Mr. Johnson referenced about apartheid in Africa, how important he was in that fight, and how effective he was as a leader in that fight. When he assumed the chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee, a progressive from Berkeley, he understood that our country had to be strong, but he measured our strength not only in our military might, but the health, education, and well-being of the American people.…”