Political Quotes

“Cesar Chavez, the great champion of justice and human dignity, once offered this advice about friendship: He said; ``If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him. . . . The people who give you their food give you their heart.'' The Senate Dining Room isn't Steve Johnson's house, but for the 22 years that he has worked there, Steve has poured his heart into his job, and he has become a friend--or at least a friendly face--to Senators, our families, staff members, and visitors. As general manager of the Senate Dining Rooms and two other eateries in the Capitol, Steve works hard to create places where people who might not normally talk to each other can sit down at adjoining tables, eat a meal, and maybe swap stories or jokes. In the Senate Dining Room, with its white linen table cloths and crystal chandeliers, you might see Republican and Democratic Senators and staff members asking after each other's families. In the refectory on the first floor, reporters and visitors to the Capitol stand in line together to grab a quick bite. Downstairs, in the carryout, you can find the whole Capitol family, as Steve calls them; ``the white collars, the blue collars, the green collars, and the Capitol Police,'' all eating together. It is a little like stepping back into a better, less partisan time. On Friday, December 22, Steve Johnson is leaving the Senate. He is retiring.…”