Political Quotes

“I have sought recognition to discuss the activities of the so-called lameduck session we are about to enter. I begin by suggesting that our session does not necessarily have to be a lameduck. We have the capacity to respond to the many pressing problems of the country as we choose. We can spread our wings and we can fly. One could say at many points during the course of the 111th Congress, the session could be called a turkey. It has not been very active in many respects. This body, not atypical, has been expert at avoiding tough votes. Well, if there is any time where it is easiest to avoid tough votes, it is a long distance from the next election, and we can't get any further from the next election than today, since the last election was only 13 days ago. It is my suggestion that this would be a good time to undertake some significant action. The country is in a tremendous state of turmoil politically, I think more so than at any time in the country's history, certainly more than at any time during my tenure in the Senate; I think beyond that, at any time in the history of the country with the exception of the Civil War period. We have seen candidates run on a platform of 'I won't compromise.' This is a political body. The art of politics is compromise and accommodation. I suggest there are some real lessons we all learned 13 days ago from the election which we ought to put into effect now and take some action and some decisive action.”