Political Quotes

“first I will speak on the Supreme Court. Last Thursday, I announced my opposition to Judge Neil Gorsuch and endeavored to explain why, on the merits, I don't believe he deserves to be elevated to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. I listen to my friend, the distinguished majority leader, each morning. Since the beginning of this Congress, he has chalked up every Democratic request or objection in this body to ``sour grapes,'' to some leftover resentment from the election. It is just not true, but he keeps trying. Now he is trying the same strategy with Judge Gorsuch. He repeatedly cites a quote by a friend of the judge's who, of course, said ``there is no principled reason'' to oppose this nomination, so it must be politics, the majority leader concludes. I respectfully but wholeheartedly disagree with the majority leader on this point. There are several principled reasons to oppose Judge Gorsuch's nomination. First, Judge Gorsuch was unable to sufficiently convince me that he would be an independent check on a President who has shown almost no restraint from Executive overreach. He asserted independence but could not point to a single thing in his record to guarantee it. He refused to publicly condemn what the President did when he went after the three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit. He had a case before them, and the President said: If they don't decide my way, they will be guilty of terrorism.…”