Political Quotes

“The minority leader, Senator McConnell, is right. Deficits are important. So are facts. Let's mention a few facts on the floor of the Senate. When was the last time the U.S. Government ran a surplus? A surplus. Collected more money than it spent? Well, it happened to be in the last year of President Bill Clinton's administration. So when President George W. Bush was elected, President Clinton said: Welcome to Washington. Here is a $230 billion surplus, and if you follow the spending patterns we have laid out over the next 10 years, you will generate a $5 trillion surplus in the Treasury--$230 billion now, plan for a $5 trillion surplus. At that time the debt of America, the accumulated debt of America, from George Washington through Bill Clinton, all of the debt we had amassed, $5 trillion. George W. Bush. Welcome to Washington. A surplus. A plan to increase the surplus. A plan to spend down the national debt. But what happened in 8 years of Republican rule, fiscally conservative Republican rule? I will tell you what happened. The national debt went from $5 trillion to $12 trillion. How do you do that in 8 years? Well, you wage two wars that you do not pay for, and you give tax breaks to the wealthiest people in America, and you have a prescription drug plan that is not paid for as well under Republican Presidents.”