Political Quotes

“No. I can tell you--reclaiming my time, I would say to the Senator from Idaho, most of the work that has been going on has been off the floor in the Republican caucus because the Republican majority has to decide whether we are going to have a comprehensive immigration bill. There are 55 votes on their side of the aisle, 45 votes on our side of the aisle. We are standing firm in the belief that the bipartisan bill which emerged from the Senate Judiciary Committee, with the support of the Republican chairman, Senator Specter, is the good starting point for us to really address comprehensive immigration reform, for the first time in decades. The heavy lifting has been off the floor while the party of the Senator from Idaho has been trying to decide their place in history. Will they be part of a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform or stand in its path? They have to make that decision. We cannot make it on the floor for them. The sooner they make it, the better. Last night, the Democratic leader, Senator Reid, filed a cloture motion to make it clear there will be a moment of reckoning. Here on the Senate floor, in very short order, the Republicans and Democrats will face a basic choice: Do we stop, do we kill this bill, this bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill or do we move forward? I hope we move forward because I think this is a good bill.…”