Political Quotes

“I too rise to share a few comments about my friend Tom Harkin who has contributed so much to this fight and to put rungs on the ladder so ordinary people across America have a fair shot to thrive. When I first came out here as an intern in 1976, you were already over on the House side--no, not yet. It was about 1974, and I was working away, so I didn't get to meet you then. But there were a series of speeches by Senators when I was an intern here on the Senate side, and one of them was by Hubert Humphrey. Hubert Humphrey was well known for saying that a society should be judged by how they treat those in the dawn of their lives, children, the twilight of their lives, seniors, and those who are in the shadow, the sick and disabled. When I think of that vision, I see Tom Harkin. I see Tom Harkin fighting for children who are oppressively working around the world under unacceptable circumstances. Tom Harkin carries out the fight for those children and for children's health care. I have seen him fight for our seniors, and just this week he was speaking passionately about the obligations we have to honor the retirement strategy so people can serve their senior years in dignity. He fights for those who are disabled, which we have heard about so much today. I thank Tom Harkin for taking his years on this planet and dedicating them to this battle for those in the dawn of their life, for those in the twilight of their life, and for those in the shadows.…”