Political Quotes

“Madam President, we are now in about the third day of a somewhat tortured process that was the result of a power grab that has changed the tradition of the Senate, a tradition which held for about 225 years. Republicans are frustrated with the successful attempt made by the Democratic Party under its leader to change the rules--to break the rules to change the rules. So we end up with no rule, no rule relative to protecting the rights of the minority. I know it is easy for those who have been elected in recent years and who have never served in the minority because they simply don't have the experience of what it is like to be subject to a leader and a party which basically says: We don't care what you think, we don't care what you say, we don't care what you do, none of it will be allowed unless we give you consent to do it. I know a lot of my friends across the aisle have said: It is your party that is holding things up and you are making the Senate a dysfunctional institution. What they haven't done is ask: Why are you doing this? First of all, I don't believe we are the ones making it dysfunctional, but even if one thinks that, the question has not been asked: Why are you doing this? We are doing this because we have 3 years, or more, of pent-up frustration under the leadership of this majority leader who has essentially turned the Senate into the House of Representatives. People say: Well, what is wrong with that?…”