Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I wish to thank the Senator from Michigan for bringing us together and making the point, as clearly as we can make it, that last night we had a chance to launch maybe the most important single issue in debate that we can consider in the Senate. We had a chance to bring both parties to the floor of the Senate and ask for the best ideas each of us has to move the economy forward. The President has a plan. I think it is a good one. I support the plan. I think it is a reasonable way to move this economy forward and put people to work. But it is the nature of the legislative process that some will disagree with one aspect of it, some with others, and Members may have their own ideas to bring to the floor. That is what this branch of government is all about, that we have this debate, an open debate, Democrats and Republicans on the floor, and at the end of the day vote on something to move forward with together. But last night not one single Republican Senator would join us in an effort to bring this matter to a debate on the floor. In fact, the Senator from Michigan has made the point over and over that the Republican filibuster requiring 60 votes to break the filibuster is stopping the majority from acting in the Senate on the issue of creating jobs--a Republican filibuster. That is problematic. It is troublesome. It is frustrating.…”