Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution that recognizes the tragedy in Tucson on Saturday. I'm deeply shocked and saddened, and I'm praying for Gabby, her family, staff, and the other victims of this senseless act of violence. In times like these, words often fail to describe our anguish and pain. As a fellow Member of the class of 2006, I've gotten to know Congresswoman Giffords well and have developed enormous respect for her intellect and her love for this country. {time} 1700 She and I have served together on the House Armed Services Committee. And she was very gracious on the morning of President Obama's swearing in. She offered to share her blanket with me as we both braved the cold during the inauguration. We kept each other warm, and we had warm dialogue and happy moments. Gabby and her staff were performing a fundamental duty of a Member of Congress: That is listening to the concerns of her constituents. Our democracy depends on this type of open and informal meeting of elected officials and the people that they serve. We cannot let this cowardly act of violence prevent us from engaging with our constituents. I encourage my colleagues to take appropriate caution but to continue holding constituent meetings and do the job we were elected to do without fear. To do otherwise would allow the gunman a small taste of victory and would diminish our democracy and dishonor the victims of this senseless act.…”