Political Quotes

“I rise in a difficult position, but very supportive of the Shays amendment, and let me explain why. First of all, as most of my colleagues certainly on this side know, I am a strong supporter of the labor movement in this country and I make no bones about it. I coauthored family medical leave with the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) as a compromise many sessions ago and still support that legislation. I opposed NAFTA. I was one of the few Republicans that opposed my President on trade promotion authority. I supported Davis-Bacon so that our building trades have the kind of support that they need. Pension reform, minimum wage, I have been there and that is because I come from a blue collar background. Mr. Chairman, I am the youngest of nine kids. My father worked in a factory and was a member of the Textile Workers Union. My job is to try to strike a balance between what is best for business and what is best for the worker. In this case I have to come down not just on the side of the worker and the right to organize, but in support of our President to deal with the difficult issue of homeland security.”