Arlen Specter: “we have heard from the objectors what the American people think. I am not sure they have standing to represent the…”

“we have heard from the objectors what the American people think. I am not sure they have standing to represent the American people. We heard the junior Senator from South Carolina speak as to his interpretation of what the American people think. But we heard the senior Senator from South Carolina stand in firm support of this legislation--the Senator representing South Carolina, as well as the other Senator from South Carolina. We know as a matter of practice that the callers and the e-mailers are characteristically naysayers. You hear a lot more from people who object than you do from people who are in favor. We know that the majority of America is the silent majority. From my own soundings, what I hear on the train when I come back and forth from Pennsylvania, what I hear in the restaurants, on the streets, and in the fitness club is to proceed, try to find a way to improve a very serious situation in immigration. No one of us is able to speak for the American people. We hear different voices at different times. I know one thing with relative certainty, and that is you cannot tell what the American people think simply by those who object and those who call. We do not run America in a representative democracy, in a republic, by public opinion polls. If we did, we would take the public opinion poll and we could dispense with all of the fat salaries that Members of Congress get.”