Political Quotes

“Amazingly, as a freshman, it shocked me when I got here how from the day you are here as a new Member they separate you, Republicans over here, Democrats over here. Republicans get this training, Democrats get this training. The freshman class did not even meet as a freshman class. It was the Republicans over here the Democrats over here. And so the only way to build bridges is one on one, interactively. We even sit over here, they sit over there. Mr. Speaker, I mean, that is amazing to me because, as Billy said, we all had to fight the same fight to get here, and we all represent the same number of people or thereabouts, and so I think you have to. I am in a weekly small group, bipartisan, Democrats and Republicans. We meet every week to just walk through the problems with our lives here and to hold each other accountable while we are separated from our families, while we are here. It is a great thing, and it is bipartisan. Some of my greatest relationships here: Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and Bart Stupak of Michigan, are Democrats, are in my small group. Some of my greatest relationships now have been built with my friends from the other side of the aisle. I think these small group efforts sometimes, if you exercise, you need to physically keep your body alive, you develop relationships exercising with friends from the other party.”