Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to come to the floor and talk a little about the ongoing dialogue we are having on the Supreme Court nomination. Before I start this speech, I wanted to comment on something for those who think all we do is fight here. I think the Presiding Officer was at our bipartisan lunch. I think it is a great opportunity. So often we see the debate on the floor and the dialogue in the committee rooms, but we take the opportunity every month or so and Democrats and Republicans come together and we enjoy each other's company. We talk a little about policy but more about the folks back home. So I just wanted to let the American people know that because we happen to have differences, it doesn't mean we don't like and respect so many of our colleagues. Today, though, I am talking about something that is a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans, and it relates to the open Supreme Court seat as a result of the tragic passing of Justice Scalia. Originally, I was going to come to the floor and provide a speech I had prepared, but I was in the Judiciary Committee today and I decided--probably against my staff's wishes--to deviate a little from the script and to talk about some of the facts that were put forth in the Judiciary Committee today. One of the arguments we hear from Members of the Democratic Party is that somehow the Supreme Court has been shut down. That couldn't be further from the truth.…”