Political Quotes

“I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I want to begin debate, and I do so with gratitude that the distinguished ranking member Senator Collins is here, as well as Senator Brown of Massachusetts, whose original legislation, along with Senator Gillibrand, forms the basis of this proposal that comes out of our committee. I want to go back to the beginning, to President Washington, whose Farewell Address seems to take on more relevance as time goes by, although it is obviously more than 200 years old now. Washington said in his Farewell Address that ``virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government'' and that we cannot ``look with indifference'' at anything that shakes that foundation or, continuing his metaphor, dries the spring. I think we have to say in the long proud course of American history since then there have been very few times where the springs of trust in popular government have been more dry than they are in our time. I am grateful my colleague Senator McCain is not on the Senate floor now because when we get to this subject, he usually says: When you look at the public opinion polls on Congress, the numbers of people who have a favorable impression of this body are so low we are down to close relatives and paid staff. Usually, when I am with him, I add: I'm not so sure about all the paid staff.…”