Political Quotes

“tonight I rise truly disappointed at the decision of my colleagues in the other body to negotiate this lose-lose situation for minority and civil rights. While I appreciate and understand my Senate colleagues and their desire to preserve the Senate tradition and to avoid the nuclear option which their leadership unfortunately threatened to use, I join with Senator Feingold, Chairman Watt and members of the Congressional Black Caucus in saying tonight that the deal that was brokered was a bad one for the American people. In the words of the Congressional Black Caucus today, we said that, one, we strongly oppose the deal that trades judges who oppose our civil rights for a temporary filibuster cease- fire. This deal is more of a capitulation than a compromise. In fact, one of our Republican friends in the other body stated that she thinks that this deal really does help advance the goal of their majority leader. This deal allows the right to filibuster only in extraordinary circumstances. There is no question in my mind that the judicial extremism of Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor constitute extraordinary circumstances. Nonetheless, the right to filibuster their nominations has been given away. I know that when it comes time to vote on their confirmation, Americans are going to be looking to Senators in both parties to reject them based on their extremist views.…”