Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina, again, for her insight and comments. Here we are, 50 years removed from Selma, 50 years after Americans-- young and old, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Jewish-- made a decision to stand up for what they knew was right. They stood up for democracy and demanded fair and unobstructed access to the ballot. As you have heard this hour, the evolution to the America we are today has been a long and challenging journey. The Voting Rights Act has done much to make our Union more perfect, but the strength of the Voting Rights Act has been diminished. With new, discriminatory laws on the books, this Congress must act. This Congress can pass a bipartisan bill that extends section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. As was the case in Selma, the law is not equal for all. We must unite, as we did then. I urge my colleagues to take up this important issue and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. I would like to take this time to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) and all my colleagues who took the time to speak to us this evening. I yield back the balance of my time.”