Political Quotes

“Mr. President, at a quarter after, I am leading a group of seven or eight Senators to talk about the trade promotion authority and the transpacific partnership, but I would like to take this opportunity while the floor is empty--and I thank my Republican colleagues--to talk about Ohio civil rights pioneer Congressman Louis Stokes. I have known him for 35 years. We celebrated his 90th birthday on Monday, and I had the opportunity to speak to him. Lou Stokes is a proud son of Cleveland, the city in which I live. He was born in that city nine decades ago and grew up in one of the first Federal housing projects in the country. Lou rose to prominence as a lawyer and a legislator. His father worked in a laundromat and his mother cleaned houses. Lou himself shined shoes to earn extra money. He served in the Army during World War II and went to college at night on the GI bill. He is the American success story. Lou was stationed in the Deep South during segregation. He was appalled by the discrimination he witnessed, even for those wearing the uniform and serving our country. That experience compelled him to dedicate his life to fighting injustice. He handled matters big and small in his legal practice. He argued the landmark case of Terry v. Ohio before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's ruling in Terry addressed the police stop-and-frisk policy and defined what constitutes a reasonable search and seizure. As the first African American to represent Ohio in the U.S.…”