Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, when the so-called supercommittee failed last year to overcome the obstruction of the Tea Party Republicans and their leader, Grover Norquist, to achieve a fair and balanced plan for deficit reduction, economic growth, and job creation, I said it would take a decisive national election in order to settle the matter. I believe President Obama's victory on November 6 was very decisive and pretty definitive. During the campaign, President Obama very clearly laid out his vision, and the American people strongly affirmed his position. The President won all but one of the swing States, 62 percent of the Electoral College, and carried the popular vote by more than 4\1/2\ million votes. Democrats added to our numbers in the House and Senate and captured a House popular vote by more than a million votes. In February 2010, President Obama began the process to reduce our deficit by establishing the Simpson-Bowles Commission. Since that time, many bipartisan groups have made recommendations on how to reduce the deficit, and they have all been in agreement: We need a balanced deal that requires shared sacrifice from all Americans, including the wealthy. In 2011, we began to reduce the deficit, but we did it entirely through spending cuts, over $1.5 trillion, and have asked nothing of the most fortunate. In 2012, the American people spoke.…”