Political Quotes

“I regret that the Chamber is not full of Members or that the gallery is not jammed with people, for this is a historic day. Many Members have quoted that extraordinary doctrine of civil rights and human rights articulated by our Founders 243 years ago: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident.'' I tell people that they may be self- evident, but they are not self-executing. Today, we will take another step in a long journey toward a more perfect Union. Today, we will take a step, and, hopefully, it will be as it was in 1957 when we passed the Civil Rights Act that year; hopefully, it will be as it was in 1964 when we passed that civil rights bill; and, hopefully, it will be as we voted on the Disabilities Act in 1990. All of those bills were passed in a bipartisan fashion; and, yes, there were bipartisan votes against those bills, some from my party and some from my colleagues on the Republican side. My presumption is, and my hope is, that those who voted ``no'' on those civil rights bills looked back and said: I made a mistake. That was not the vote I should have made. Every Democrat will vote for this bill. Every Democrat will stand up and say this is another step in the quest for a better America, a more just America, a more accepting America. That is what we have the opportunity to do today.…”