Political Quotes

“I want to thank Senator Patty Murray for bringing us all together today. It is a privilege to be on the floor of the U.S. Senate; it is a privilege to serve in the Senate; and it was a privilege to serve with someone as extraordinary as Senator Dianne Feinstein. People know me as a Senator who cares deeply about women's rights, about LGBT equality, about children, family, safety. And anything that I have ever cared about, Dianne was fighting for, long before I was ever in public service. When we talk about public servants who leave legacies and when we talk about the giants on whose shoulders we stand, for me, that is Dianne. She was unlike any Senator I met when I first got here in 2009. She had a really incredible combination of elegance, brilliance, stature, certainty, toughness, and kindness. When I first got to the U.S. Senate, I didn't know anything. I was appointed. I hadn't just run a long election where I was telling the constituents of New York why I wanted to serve and what my vision for the State was. I was really, really new. I had been a House Member for 2 years. Dianne asked me to lunch. She said: How can I help you, Kirsten? What would be most useful, for you, for me to do for you? And I said: Well, could you just tell me a little bit about what is it like to be a Senator for a State of 60 million people. I have a State of 20 million people, so it is a lot, but I would love to hear how you have navigated this enormous job that you have.…”