Political Quotes

“I commend the gentlelady from Ohio, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, for convening this critically important special order today. It is very appropriate that Members of the Congressional Black Caucus take this time to honor Black History Month, and more specifically, our nation's ongoing struggle to fulfill the promise of democracy. When I first ran for Congress in 1964, I ran on a platform of 'Jobs, Justice and Peace.' I never thought at that time that the fundamental plank of justice, the right to vote, would remain the primary issue before us 37 years later. I never would have thought then that there would be cases of voter intimidation, disenfranchisement and confusing ballots in the 21st century. Like most Americans, I wanted to believe that our system of justice would do all that it could under current laws to ensure the right to vote, particularly the right of African Americans and other historically disenfranchised voters will be protected. Unfortunately this was not the case in the 2000 presidential election. Therefore I have joined with several of my colleagues in the Congress to begin the painstaking task of looking at reform of our system of voting from the top down and from the bottom up. So, as we celebrate the history of African-Americans, we should commit ourselves to fight harder for the future of all of America. This Congress and the current Administration, must make real, true election reform their top priority.”