Political Quotes

“often when I go before groups at home they ask me what sort of training I had or what seemed to help me be a Member of Congress. I tell them that it was growing up in a family of 11 children, because when one grows up in a family of 11 children, one does not always get one's way. In fact, it often seems like one never gets their way, and one learns that one gives up all the time. One gives up their choice on what television show to watch, one does not get to choose when one goes to the pool, where one goes, what one eats for breakfast. The fact is that when one is one of 11 children, one learns to compromise all the time to get to an end that is very important. So in the conference committee we had very strong feelings. Most of us compromised. Three of the provisions that were controversial I agreed with. I do not believe that we should add more mandates on our Federal employees' health plans that will have the effect of driving up their costs. But I agree, because it was very important to a group on the Democratic side particularly, but on both sides, that we include that. The fact is that in the end the minority party decided not to support the rule and not to support the conference committee because one thing was more important than anything, and that is that the general council have bipartisan support to stay in place. So the rule went down. So now we are back with all of the controversial provisions stripped.”