Political Quotes

“It has been a bad week in Washington. Adding to their laundry list of legislative arm twisting, House Republicans yesterday once again bent democracy to fit their needs by holding a traditional 15-minute vote open for 38 minutes until they were able to change the outcome of the vote to their favor. It was not an isolated incident of arrogant disregard for the political process by Republican leadership in this Congress. It was an example yesterday of the 'modern-day' Republican and their win-at-all-cost style of governance. Never before when the Democrats were in control or when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, never before has this House of Representatives operated in such secrecy. At 2:54 a.m. on a Friday in March, 2003, the House cut veterans' benefits by three votes. At 2:39 a.m. on a Friday in April, the House slashed education and health care by five votes. At 1:56 a.m. on a Friday in May, the House passed the tax cut bill, weighted especially towards millionaires, by a handful of votes. At 2:33 a.m. on a Friday in June, the House passed the Medicare privatization bill by one vote. At 12:57 a.m. on a Friday in June, the House eviscerated Head Start by one vote. And then, after returning from summer recess, at 12:12 a.m. on a Friday in October, the House voted $87 billion for Iraq. Always in the middle of the night, always after the press had passed their deadlines, always after the American people had turned off the news and gone to bed.”