Political Quotes

“I thank Representative Evans for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I proudly represent the Sixth Congressional District of South Carolina in this august body. This past week, I spent a significant amount of time throughout the district meeting with faith leaders as well as other community-based organizations. And one of the things I kept hearing came from people who are particularly interested in whether or not this Congress will do anything to respond to this horrific problem that we have with guns. Of all the things that I find myself talking about, the one thing that bothers me most is the fact that we seem to be no longer safe in our most sacred institutions. I often quote Alexis de Tocqueville, who came to this country way back in the early 1800s seeking what he called the magic of this great country. He said that he went throughout the country looking at our institutions--educational institutions, legislative bodies--trying to find the magic of this great country. Alexis de Tocqueville said that he could not find it in any of these places. He said that it was not until he went into our churches and synagogues that he found the real magic of this great country. He said that he came to the conclusion that, in spite of all of the difficulties and challenges we had as a country, that America was great because Americans are good. And he went on to surmise that, if Americans ever cease to be good, America will cease to be great.…”