Political Quotes

“Mr. President, those who are following this debate--and I think many across America are--should understand what just happened. There was a discussion about the filibuster. A filibuster is a Senate rule that does two things: It says you cannot move an item to a vote, and you have to wait a period of time to have what is called a cloture vote. In order to pass a cloture vote, you need 60 votes, not a majority. So I would just correct, if I can, the record. A filibuster does more than delay the vote; it establishes a higher vote requirement--60 votes, not a majority. Yesterday, the Speaker of the House brought before his body of 435 Members the proposal to end this deadline. He received 218 votes--one more than half of the membership. He had a majority vote--not one more but a majority vote. We are asking for the same opportunity. Let us bring our proposal forward for a majority vote. The Republicans have refused. They have put us into a filibuster. They have said: No, we will require 60 votes, and we will delay the vote until possibly 1 a.m. Sunday morning. That is where we are. Let me say a word about the underlying issue. This morning, as many Members of the Senate, I wanted to get away from this place and spend a few minutes reflecting on something other than the give-and-take of the political debate. I got up early, walked over to Eastern Market, bought a cup of coffee, and sat on a bench for about 3 hours just watching people walk by and trying to clear my mind.…”