Political Quotes

“like many of my colleagues, I often speak about my family here on the Senate floor. As most of my colleagues know, I grew up poor and spent years of my childhood living in public housing. I never knew my biological dad, and my mom and my adopted father did the best they could for our family with the very little they had. I think that small part of my life is well known, but what may not be known to many people is that my parents were Democrats. Sadly, the Democratic Party my parents belonged to no longer exists. Today's Democratic Party would be totally unrecognizable to my parents, just as it is to millions of Americans all across our country right now. I am a proud Republican. It is no secret that I am trying to expand my party, but I still believe in the benefits of our centuries-old two- party system. It makes our Nation stronger; it pushes us to listen to both sides, work together, and leads to progress. That is why the filibuster is so important. As a rule, the filibuster embodies what is most essential to the survival of our Republic. It weakens the sometimes attractive nature of tribalism and bolsters the importance of and need for consensus when crafting policy. The filibuster protects our democratic process. That is why the Founders designed the Senate to operate this way, as a cooling saucer that could resist the temptation of political expediency that leads our country to wild swings in policy and position.…”