Political Quotes

“Mr. President, and also, I thank my colleague, the senior Senator from Illinois, for being here. I would like to just talk today about a dear, dear friend of ours, Ed Smith, who recently passed away. I am going to try not to say too much about what Ed and Dick's relationship was, but Ed is a stalwart for working families in Illinois. You know, the Ed that I knew is one who was always there for working families. He was a man who embodied the word ``solidarity,'' a man who paired passion with compassion, and who knew that no company, no community, no country would ever be as strong as it could be if any of its workers were treated without the dignity and decency that they deserved. Born in Cairo, IL, Ed had one central gravitational force throughout his life: working hard on behalf of those who worked hard for others. He joined a union at only 13 years old and, from that moment on, stayed in the fight for labor rights for the rest of his life. He held title after title throughout his career. He was a laborer when he was young, then a manager, and eventually a CEO.…”