Political Quotes

“I come to the floor tonight to take up a topic that I think is going to be of interest to all Americans, but I can't dive into that topic immediately without first referencing my reaction to these long days of debate that have taken place here in Congress about opening up a subject that had been put away by this country since about 1865. I grew up as a Yankee well north of the Mason-Dixon line. I saw the Confederate flag in multiple applications. It always was a symbol of southern pride and regional patriotism and a symbol that said to them that the South was proud to be the South, but I never saw it as a racist symbol. But it had drifted into a symbol of an artifact of history until such time now as it has been seized upon by those who are using it to divide America again. I regret that they have gone through these days of this ritual of excoriating the Confederate flag. I regret that that has been brought up. And one would think that, if it was that offensive, that they would just let it drift back into history as a relic of history rather than try to resurrect it as a symbol of something that they can't seem to let go of. But, for us, we are a country that every component of our history has not been as noble as we would like. Every country in the world has had difficulties along the way. We have risen above our difficulties, Mr. Speaker, and we have adjusted to them and have put them behind us.…”