Political Quotes

“today we honor the distinguished career of my dear friend and colleague, Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. As a young man, with all his talents--and coming from a prominent family--there were many things Jay Rockefeller could have done with his life. His choice says more about him than any speech in the Senate ever could: He chose to devote himself to serving others. So he volunteered for the Peace Corps, and then the AmeriCorps VISTA program, which brought him to the small mining town of Emmons, WV. That is where he discovered the purpose that would define his career--and his life. From that day forward, he took a personal stake in the issues that affected West Virginians. That passion became stronger as he climbed the ranks of government, from Secretary of State, to Governor, and finally to U.S. Senator. Through it all, he remained grounded by a sensibility of what was best for the people he met in Emmons--and throughout the Mountain State. He met West Virginians who could not afford basic health care--and so Senator Rockefeller became a champion for reform that made health care a right, not a privilege. He met West Virginians who were hurt in mining accidents, or made ill from the air they breathed, and he fought for reforms that improved their safety. He has always understood that our Nation is best when we have jobs that make the middle class strong, like manufacturing.…”