Political Quotes

“Madam President, it is fitting that a daughter of Mississippi is presiding at this poignant moment for me and for my entire staff. I come to the floor today with a forced smile and a bittersweet message, a bit of official news I have not been eager to report, and that news is that Michelle Barlow Richardson, who sits at my side at this very moment and who has stood by my side for a quarter century, my chief of staff, will soon depart Capitol Hill. This closes a 25-year chapter of service to my office, to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, to the State of Mississippi, and to the citizens of the United States. Anyone who knows Michelle has found out very quickly that Michelle is a Mississippi State Bulldog. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 1997 and then moved up east to Washington, DC, to begin work at my office. And she got right to work, beginning where many staffers do, as a legislative correspondent and then as an executive assistant. She set my schedule. She began to guide proposals into law, which is what we do here. Michelle would go on to higher rungs up the ladder, but she never lost her appreciation for every role on the team. And many members of the team join us in this Chamber at this moment. To this day, no task is too small for Michelle. She has not hesitated to climb into the trenches again and again. Michelle is fiercely loyal. Her relationship to Mississippi State University is a prime example of this trait.…”