Political Quotes

“Mr. President, a few weeks ago, when I started preparing to give this speech, I must admit I was overwhelmed with emotion. One year ago tomorrow, a brutal attack, fueled by hate, led to the deaths of nine parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church in my hometown of Charleston, SC. A year later, the idea that someone's heart could be filled with so much anger and venom is still jarring. Then, over the weekend, we saw it again. In Orlando, FL, a brutal attack, fueled by hate, led to the deaths of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub. This was an assault against the people of Orlando, the State of Florida, and the United States as a whole. We can, and we will, have a much longer discussion on ISIS, Islamic terror, and the steps that must be taken in those areas. But today, as Orlando mourns and Charleston remembers, I want to return to 365 days ago and show how, with the world watching, love overcame hate. On the night of June 17, 2015, I was here in Washington. Much like this week, we were debating the NDAA and our military priorities. But in Charleston, there was a Bible study. Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Myra Thompson, Felicia Sanders and her 5-year-old granddaughter, Polly Sheppard, and my friend, the Reverend Clementa Pinckney, had gathered together for a Bible study at Mother Emanuel.…”