Political Quotes

“I rise to speak about a subject that is foremost on my mind and the mind of my Democratic colleagues here today; that is, the danger of defaulting on our debt. In the entire history of this great country, we have never once defaulted on our debt. America has always kept her promises. But an alarming number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem content to reverse that proud record. Time after time, they have rejected sensible compromises to avert default. Late last year, all the House Republicans voted against the Simpson-Bowles commission. Then a key Republican walked away from the Gang of 6. Then Leader Cantor abandoned the Biden-led talks. Most recently, Speaker Boehner balked at President Obama's grand bargain- style offer because of pressure from so many in his party. It is an obvious and unsettling trend. In each of these instances, the Republican retreat was precipitated by one thing and one thing only: an ideological quest to ensure that tax breaks for the richest few are protected. They have insisted we can't raise a single dollar from millionaires and billionaires, no matter how wasteful the tax break or how generous the subsidy. Instead, they would rather balance the budget on the backs of middle- class families. They think giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires creates jobs. What about all those dollars that sit there in vaults and bank accounts?…”