Political Quotes

“In response to the question, the answer is yes. Absolutely yes. That is exactly what we want. That is exactly what we deserve. And this is one of many manifestations of the fact that my friend, my distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from Vermont, has the benefit of many decades of experience in this body. He has been here at times when the Senate has functioned precisely like that, as it should. That is exactly what we want. That is how the Senate is supposed to function, and that is how it has functioned for most of the existence of our great Republic. So that in and of itself would not only help address the problem, it would be the solution to the problem. That is why I insist this is not a problem that can be fairly laid at the feet of the individual members of the Appropriations Committee or even necessarily the chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. It is a problem with the way we schedule votes, and it is also a problem related to the first, with a lack of willingness to allow amendments to be brought. The filibuster is itself maligned and often misunderstood, but the purpose of a filibuster from the very origins of this institution was to allow for theoretically unlimited debate, discussion, and opportunities for amendments to legislation. Nowhere would that be more important than in the case of where we are spending the public's money. That is what we are supposed to be doing. That is how it always did work in the past.…”