Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Colorado for his remarks, and a special thanks to my colleague from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse, for gathering us here this evening. It is almost 8:30 Washington time. The Chamber is otherwise empty. Senator Stabenow from Michigan is preparing to speak. This is not really a Senate debate. That happens almost never in this body, which is unfortunate. I had hoped that perhaps some Members from the other side would come and defend their position, but they haven't. It is their right to go home, and they have done it. We think it is worth a few minutes of our time to come even this late at night to talk about this issue. Lyndon Johnson was a pretty famous Senator and President, and back in the day he used to say that when he was looking for advisers, he wished he had someone near him who would run for sheriff. What President Johnson was saying is that the practical experience of politics is somehow a lot different from what many people imagine. I thought of that when I reflected on this Supreme Court currently sitting--the same Court that decided Citizens United--and the fact that not one of them has ever stood for election, none of them has gone through a campaign. When they addressed Citizens United, it was strictly from a legalistic academic viewpoint, and the decision reflected it because it was such a gross departure from where we have been as a nation. A Presidential candidate may argue that corporations are people.…”