Political Quotes

“it might surprise some people here that while what we are dealing with here is important, we are not the center of the universe. All across this country, as I was reminded this morning when calling home and speaking with friends and family and my wife and my children, life goes on. Most Americans, I think, are aware that there is an issue going on here in Washington, DC, with regard to funding the government. But I doubt very few of them are sitting in front of the CNN countdown clock, where I guess now we are on the ticker because we are into the shutdown, living it--some sort of reality drama. It doesn't mean it is not important, but it is a reality that life goes on. People aren't following this every single day and aren't checking their phones on a 15-minute basis to find out how this thing is going to be fixed. I think a lot of people are a little bit confused about what is happening here. If you are just listening to it off the top, in between things or maybe on the radio, maybe some people have the perception that this is all about a disagreement regarding the budget and/or a disagreement solely about an issue that is of critical importance, and we need to deal with it right away. That is just not accurate. I will get to that in a moment. But it is still hard for people to understand how this happens. When I explain to people where we are and how we got here, it doesn't make sense to a lot of people.…”