Political Quotes

“as we all know, a vote of confirmation for Loretta Lynch to be our next Attorney General has now been delayed 164 days, or 5 months. We have seen this qualified woman waiting for a confirmation vote, and we have had at least 51 Members--a majority-- indicating they will support her confirmation. I remember coming to the floor listening to colleagues during the Bush administration state over and over again that elections have consequences, that Presidents have a right to have their nominees voted on, and that it is our responsibility to make sure, if something comes out of committee, that we vote on a final confirmation. When we look at the fact that we have seen Loretta Lynch wait for a vote on the floor for a combined length of time that equals more than the last seven Attorneys General, I really do believe, as the President has said, enough is enough. I remember a time when we had a controversial nominee--John Ashcroft--and many of us did not support that nomination. I did not support that nomination. But we brought it to the floor for a vote. He waited 42 days. At the time, people said that was a long time. He was not blocked. We did not filibuster. We did not require a supermajority. In fact, there were 42 of us who voted no, so we could have stopped it on a procedural vote. But we allowed the nomination of John Ashcroft to come to the floor for a vote. So we fast-forward.…”