Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Before we begin the colloquy, let me make some remarks about someone who has made a real difference in this House. Madam Speaker, every society that wants to be a successful society has to have rules. Thomas Jefferson, one of the great political thinkers of the centuries, observed that there had to be both comity and fairness if we were going to come together and have a democracy that was operational. Dick Gephardt used to say that the legislative process was a substitute for armed confrontation, that the resolution of differences in a democracy needed to be done in a civil way, pursuant to rules. Madam Speaker, we are losing, in a short period of time, a gentleman who has made a difference for this House, this Congress--House and Senate--has made a difference to the civility of this House, a gentleman who, by the way, is not responsible in any way for the lack of civility that, from time to time, breaks out in this House. {time} 1430 I refer, Madam Speaker, to our Parliamentarian, Tom Wickham. I have had the privilege of knowing him all of his days in the House of Representatives. He has been here for a significant period of time and has served as our Parliamentarian for essentially four Congresses, 8 years. He stands--or sits, at this point in time--a short, at least 6 feet, distance, with his mask on, which is a unique experience for him, from the Speaker's rostrum. He is there to ensure that we play by the rules.…”