Political Quotes

“Good morning and welcome back. Many of you, of course, visit on a relatively regular basis. Others of you we don't get to see as often. I now have been here long enough to know almost all of you, and have served with almost all of you. And I am always pleased to join here to welcome you back to the House. I have my own Connie Morella from Maryland and Bev Byron. You know the story about Bev Byron. We met in 1962. She was wondering who this skinny kid was who had written to her husband, ``Dear President Byron.'' He was president of the Young Democrats of Maryland. And I signed it ``Steny Hamilton Hoyer,'' and she has not let me forget the officiousness of that letter. But I am so pleased to be with all of you. I have lamented on numerous occasions welcoming you here that when I first came here it was 1981, and clearly the partisanship was starting to elevate. All of you know, because I have said on so many different occasions, what respect and deep, deep affection I have for Bob Michel. Respect in the sense that I thought he brought the best of what the American people want and represented to the House of Representatives. He brought a philosophical judgment as to what policies we ought to support, direction the country ought to go, but he also brought a deep conviction that what the American public expected of us was to work together, respect one another, and try to do the best that we could for the American people.…”