Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Senator Jim Bunning. I met Senator Bunning in 1983, when I was 10 years old. He was running for Governor. At the time, he was a State senator in Kentucky, and my grandfather was chairman of the Republican Party of Monroe County. So when he ran for Governor, my grandfather was the chairman of the county for his election. And I went up to him, a 10-year-old boy, and I had my baseball in my hand--because that is what you did when you saw Jim Bunning, you gave him a baseball to sign--and I said: ``Mr. Bunning, I am like you. We have two things in common.'' I said: ``I am a fan of sports and a fan of politics.'' And he laughed and patted me on the head, and he said: ``We are going to get along just fine.'' And he figured out who I was, who my grandfather was, and we stayed close through the years. When I ran for State representative in 2000, he was one of the first people to call and encourage me and offer his support. I won that election. I served in the Kentucky General Assembly. He was always a supporter. He was always there for me. I ran for commissioner of agriculture in another statewide office, and he was always there for me. I think the world of Jim Bunning just because I knew him and I knew that he cared and he remembered things. In 2004, he was running for reelection for the U.S. Senate, and it was a tough election. It was a very close election. In fact, there were 120 counties in the State.…”