Political Quotes

“I notice the Chamber is empty today, and I guess most of us are waiting to see if there is going to be an arrangement made between the President and Speaker Boehner on our fiscal cliff that is coming up in just a few weeks. I know all of us want to see that happen. I think each of us knows the very best thing that can happen for the economy in New York or Tennessee or any other place is for us to get this behind us and for businesses to begin this next year knowing that Congress and the White House have worked out an arrangement to put this fiscal issue in the rearview mirror. I know we are moving, hopefully--what we would like to do is move not just beyond the fiscal cliff but have a fiscal reform bill in place that is in the $4, $4.5 trillion range so we can at least for a period of time put this issue in the rearview mirror. So, Madam President, I want to tell you that I am hopeful that is going to occur. I know there have been a lot of discussions in our caucus, in the Acting President pro tempore's caucus about that happening. On the other hand, it is my understanding that these negotiations really are not moving along very rapidly. We only have a few weeks left in this year, and it is beginning to look as though, at a minimum, if there is an arrangement made, it is not going to be one of the size that all of us would like to see happen. I know one of the issues all of us have talked about is the middle- income citizens in our country.…”