Political Quotes

“I am here today with sadness and anger after one of the saddest and most troubling days in my career in public service. Yesterday the Senate turned its back on the families of Newtown--some of them sitting in this very gallery, along with victims of other shootings. The first words I heard when Vice President Biden banged the gavel to end the vote on the background check bill yesterday were, ``Shame on you.'' ``Shame on you'' were the words of a rightfully angry mother of a Virginia Tech student who was shot in the head twice 6 years ago this week. This heartbroken mother had the courage and the fortitude to say the words that all of us who have been fighting for commonsense laws to reduce gun violence felt at that moment. Shame on us. Shame on the Senate. It was, in fact, a shameful day for this Nation and for our democracy. The hardest part of that day was to explain to the loved ones who lost children, spouses, family members in Newtown that day how 90 percent of the American people--the majority of gun owners and even NRA members--and 54 Members of the Senate could favor a proposal that failed to become law. How could that be in a democracy? Part of the answer relates to the filibuster, which is a now proven despicable antidemocratic feature of this body.…”