Joe Cunningham: “I want to compliment Members on both sides of this issue. We have remained on the issues and people have spoken, no…”

“I want to compliment Members on both sides of this issue. We have remained on the issues and people have spoken, no matter how strongly they feel, and remained on the issues. Most of this debate has dwelt on those issues. Even though those feelings are strong in many cases, they have remained that, and I think that is where we want this floor to remain most of the time. I would say all the time. That working environment was degraded when the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Bryant] personally attacked the Speaker of the House. The Speaker, like the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Stenholm], went point by point by point on his issues and spoke only to the issues of the Gallegly amendment. Then when the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Bryant], attacked the Speaker, got into personal references, I think that was wrong. I would say to my friend that it is uncharacteristic of him and I know him as a friend, and I say this because myself, I have lost my temper on the House floor and I have done very similar things. But I think when we chastise the position of the Speaker, which this Gallegly amendment was overwhelmingly passed, we chastise the motive of the rest of us. When over 60 percent of my voters in California support that position, I think that was wrong. Mr. Chairman, I say that with the intention that I have done the same thing, and I think in this particular case it does disservice to what we are trying to do, and I just think it was wrong.”