Political Quotes

“the hour is late and I have a special sensitivity to the fact that many of the staff people have been here for a long time, and I know we will return to this amendment and debate first thing in the morning. I will make my remarks mercifully brief and just alert the Members of the Senate and those who follow this debate of the nature of the amendment I am offering. I think this amendment goes to the heart of politics, the best part of politics. It goes to a clash of ideas, a difference of opinion, a true choice for the Members of the Senate and for the people of the United States because the amendment I offer has become the cornerstone of the Presidential debate for the year 2000. The two candidates who are the likely nominees of their party, George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, have one marked difference. Governor Bush has proposed a substantial--some would say massive and risky--tax cut. Vice President Gore believes that, as do many of the Members of the Senate and the House, with this surplus we anticipate in the coming years, our first priority should be the reduction of the national debt so that our children don't bear that burden, and that we don't have to generate in taxes every day of every year the interest payments on old debt. Furthermore, Vice President Gore and many of us believe that we should take our surplus and dedicate it to preserving Social Security, making certain that Medicare will be there for many years to come.”