Political Quotes

“I rise this morning to pay tribute to a great American who lived in the State of Illinois, who represented it and the country well, Senator Charles Percy. I recall that when Senator Percy was elected, I was a young schoolteacher, community activist. I also was an individual who interacted with lots of people who were very cynical about government, politics, whether or not there was any potential for change. So we had an opportunity to see in action one of the most forceful individuals in public life, one that you didn't describe necessarily as a Democrat or a Republican. You didn't characterize him as a conservative or a liberal. You really thought of Senator Percy as simply a good, solid United States Senator who represented well not only his constituents, but who provided leadership for the Nation and for the country. I think I learned at that time the meaning of town hall meetings because Senator Percy would hold those; and although he was a Republican by political stripe--and many of the people where I lived and interacted with were Democrats in terms of political stripe--we just would turn out at Senator Percy's town halls to know what was taking place, what was going on, what was happening. I personally owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him for helping to shape my own political philosophy, some of my political ideology, some of the things that I dream about and hope for and work towards.…”