Political Quotes

“So the importance of us being here today goes right in the face of having this conversation as a debate. I appreciate my Republican colleagues who have come to the floor to engage in some debate, in some colloquy. I, like Senator Kaine, came to the Senate a bit naive. I thought debate happened here all the time. I came here thinking that I could offer an amendment at any time, that I could offer a unanimous consent at any time. That is not the case. This is not the Senate that our Founders envisioned. Now, if you feel moved to oppose a piece of legislation, if you are passionate about an issue, you should have the courage to come to the Senate floor in front of your colleagues and the American people. You should not be allowed to vote it in from behind closed doors. This Chamber has changed, just as the times have changed. So it is the responsibility of every one of us to make sure that the Senate works better, not for us but for the American people. Now, in closing, in 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr suggested that the Senate remove from its rules the ``previous question motion,'' which allowed the Chamber's simple majority to end debate on a bill. He viewed the rule as completely unnecessary and urged the Senate to clean up its rule book because after everyone had spoken and debated, they would vote. A year later, the Senate removed the previous question motion, leaving a loophole that allowed the minority to take advantage and use what we now know as the filibuster.…”