Political Quotes

“the bipartisan practice of beginning each legislative day with a series of 1-minute topical speeches is under attack. There is an effort in some quarters to muffle debate by pushing this segment back to the end of the day's proceedings. If that attempt succeeds, those Americans who try to follow this portion of the proceedings may be deprived of this important opportunity. These 1-minute speeches at the start of the business each day give Members, even of low seniority, the chance to speak on issues of real concern to the Nation. I know that I hear from people all over the country responding to what has been said during these 1-minutes, and I think those people all over the country who want to follow our proceedings would be deprived, and I do not want to see that happen. When individual Members seek to advance an agenda more far-reaching than even their leadership would propose, these 1-minutes provide a good forum for discussion. Morning 1-minutes were tolerated by Democratic leadership and they have been continued under Republican leadership. They should not be shoved to the end of the day in an effort to squelch the exchange of views.”