Political Quotes

“I rise in sadness because America and the State of Maine lost a friend yesterday, one of my predecessors in this office, Senator Bill Hathaway, who served 14 years in the Congress, 8 in the House and 6 in the Senate, from 1973 to 1978. I knew him well because I worked for him as a staff member in the Senate. In fact, I was sworn in as a Senator 40 years to the day from the day I entered Senate service on behalf of Bill Hathaway in January of 1973. I had a chance, as all staff members do, to see him up close, to see him operate as a Senator and as a person. I was asked today several questions about him and what characterized Bill Hathaway. The first thing I said was he always put people first. He really and truly didn't pay much attention to politics. He always wanted to do what was right. I remember being in his office in the Russell Senate Office Building and talking about the political ramifications of some bill or some vote. He sat back in his chair and said: You know, it is hard enough around here to figure out what the right thing to do is. When you add the politics on top of it, it becomes practically impossible. That was the way he thought and that was the way he acted. In fact, I once sent him a memo as a young staff member that had some political ramifications of a particular vote. I wish I had saved the memo because in his inimitable scrawl at the top of the page when it came back to me it said: I pay you for policy, not political advice.…”