Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is one of the kindest, most thoughtful and hardest working elected officials anywhere. It is a shame that it took a despicable act to shine this bright spotlight on Gabby. She is what virtually every American would say they want in a Member of Congress--smart, open, friendly, intellectually honest, and very brave. She cares passionately about all of her constituents and, as she was demonstrating on Saturday, what they think. Speaker Boehner was absolutely correct when he said an attack on one Member of Congress is an attack on all, but Saturday's attack was more than an assault on a Congresswoman. It was an attack on American democracy. Gabby was doing what her job title implied--listening to her constituents at an event set up like hundreds before, conducting the business essential to effective representation. Dozens of citizens were actively participating in our democracy, asking questions and expressing themselves. The attack on Giffords was an attack on them as well. Earth-shaking tragedies sometimes create the opportunity for our society to have a reasoned discussion on critically important issues that we often cannot have under normal circumstances. In the wake of catastrophe, our hope is that such a discussion can strengthen our democracy and help our Nation emerge stronger. Responsibility for this weekend's shooting in Tucson rests solely on the shoulders of the madman who pulled the trigger.…”