Political Quotes

“I think Senator Udall is absolutely accurate that this is the perfect moment to do it. When we first engaged in this dialogue, we reached out to our Republican colleagues. We held one-on-one meetings. We sought to champion this. What we found was that the view of reform was polarized on whether you were in the majority or the minority. We said that we were going to have this test for what we put forward: that what we put forward when we were in the majority is what we put forward when we are in the minority. If we don't think it would work for us in the minority, then it is not an honest or fair appraisal of making the Senate work. So now we have come to that test because here we are now in the minority and we are proposing the same set of ideas. This Senator absolutely believes these ideas would make this place work better. It would enable more bills to be debated, which is--to have that value when you are in the minority, to actually put your amendments forward and have that debate, is a gift. Certainly it says that if you really believe--the idea that we put forward, a talking filibuster--if you really believe you want to block something, you have to stand on this floor and debate it.…”