Political Quotes

“first I thank my good friend and colleague from Minnesota, Senator Franken, for leading this debate here today, the subject of course being the potential of default by the U.S. Government, a subject many of us thought we would never have to discuss. I hope people who did not get a chance to see his speech--I am sorry, I had hoped to be here but we had the final vote on the free trade agreements in the Finance Committee, but I hope people will look at the speech. It is a very erudite, thoughtful, and compelling document. It is on a subject that deserves that kind of attention, which is the danger of default. In our entire history we have never defaulted on our debt. America has always kept its promises. But some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are threatening to make us the first generation of Americans that does not pay its debts, that does not keep its promise. Earlier this week the President said we should reach a deal within 2 weeks in order to avoid roiling the financial markets. We Democrats are working in good faith. We are committed to making sure our Nation does not fail in meeting its obligations. My colleagues and I on this side of the aisle are working diligently to find spending cuts, many of which come from programs we strongly believe help this country, in order to come to a final agreement. We are also identifying tax loopholes to close. But I must ask, what exactly are my Republican colleagues doing?…”