Cory Booker: “I just want, again, to say thank you to you. We started this about 13 and a half or almost 14 hours ago with business as…”

“I just want, again, to say thank you to you. We started this about 13 and a half or almost 14 hours ago with business as usual. We started almost 14 hours ago with no focus on these issues in this body. We started this 14 hours ago with something as obvious as closing the terrorist loophole not on the agenda of the Senate. This filibuster--your standing tall, your multiple colleagues standing with you, over 2 dozen representing States from East to West-- and this measure is standing here together. It now seems that we at least will have a vote on those two things, the closing of the terrorist loophole and the expanding of the terrorist block so that we have background checks that can block terrorists who seek to get weapons through secondary avenues. So that is a good step. It is not everything I would have hoped for out of this day. But it seems clear to me that we have some work to do in changing the hearts and minds of some of our colleagues so these measures that have failed in the past can pass now. For those of you who don't know the history of this body, a lot of the most prideful legislation of America--let's take the Civil Rights Act, for example--failed many, many, many times. But those who kept fighting and didn't give up or didn't give in to cynicism were able to break that measure on the floor. This has happened with many pieces of legislation, from the abolishing of slavery to a woman's right to vote. Sweet Honey in the Rock is a group that I love.…”