Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are concluding an historic week here in the Nation's Capital and in the U.S. Senate. Health reform is no longer a bill. It is the law of the land. Just as the history books remember 1935 as the year FDR signed Social Security into law, and 1965 as the year Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law, they will now remember 2010 as the year President Barack Obama signed comprehensive health reform into law. Of course, not only is health reform the law of the land, but, thanks to the reconciliation bill, we have also passed a landmark reform of the student lending program, permitting a major increase in Pell grants. Appropriately, Members have cited the historic contributions of key leaders here in the Senate, including Majority Leader Reid, Senator Conrad, Senator Baucus, Senator Dodd, and, of course, for his commitment to this cause spanning decades, the late Senator Ted Kennedy. It is also important to etch into history, in our Congressional Record, the names of Senate staff members who have done so much to get us to this point. I have often cited the old saying that ``Senators are a constitutional impediment to the smooth functioning of staff.'' We laugh at that, but we also know that there is a lot of truth. Were it not for skilled, talented, dedicated staff members, willing to spend so many evenings and weekends away from their families, we would not have arrived at the historic triumph of passing comprehensive health reform.…”