Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this bill is about stopping the biggest tax increase in the history of the country that will happen if we do not pass something between now and the end of the year. That happens because the 2001 tax law, the present tax policy, was only good for 10 years, and it sunsets. So you go back to the big tax policy we had, the high tax policy we had in the year 2000. We are passing this now because of a simple rule of economics: you should not increase taxes during an economic recession. With nearly 10 percent unemployment, we are still, obviously, in a recession. Some on the other side supported the President's earlier proposal when he wanted to maintain the existing tax policy just for those below a $200,000-a-year income. The Senate did not support that proposal, and it is clear that proposal could not pass. I know that can be a difficult thing. Over the years I have seen proposals I thought were good and just and that I cared passionately about defeated in the Senate. But you just move on, so that is what our President has done. He has moved on in a pragmatic spirit. He has put forward another proposal to prevent the biggest tax increase in the history of the country from happening. He doesn't view it as ideal, and few on my side of the aisle do as well. For all of us, it is a balancing act. We want to stay true to our ideals. We also want to deliver practical results to our constituents.…”