John Joseph Moakley: “I was very astounded to find out how my chairman felt about Republicans. If he wants, he can bring his football and play…”

“I was very astounded to find out how my chairman felt about Republicans. If he wants, he can bring his football and play on our side of the team. I would just like to read at this time, Mr. Speaker, just the first sentence of a Washington Post editorial of September 28. ``Powerful Republicans are still trying to twist the appropriations process to oust longtime general counsel of the Federal Election Commission, Lawrence Noble, whom they regard as too aggressive an enforcer of the law.'' Now, that is not the Democratic committee saying that, that is not the President of the United States, that is not the leadership of the minority, that is the Washington Post. Sure, many people may vote against this bill because of a couple of little things like this, but why did they put a couple of little things like this in the bill in the first place? They do not belong there.”