Political Quotes

“This is a good question. Let me tell my colleague how it happens in the real world of the minority party. Senator Reid will bring up a bill, and he will say he wants five amendments. Senator McConnell will talk to Republicans, and they will say: Well, we have 15 amendments. We have a lot of things we want to vote on, some of them germane and some of them not germane. Nongermane amendments are a historic and critical part of the history of the Senate. You two advocates would never want to give that up. I don't think my colleagues would if they have thought it through. And we are not going to give it up. We are not going to give up nongermane amendments, but there are limits on nongermane amendments. So Senator McConnell says: Well, we have more amendments than that that we want. Senator Reid says: I am filing the bill, and I am filling the tree, and nobody is going to get an amendment I don't approve. So we said: Well, we have 15. OK, Senator Reid says, I will take four. Well, I have an amendment on immigration. I have one on taxes. No, we are not going to vote on that one. We will take these three amendments, and that is it. So Senator McConnell and his staff are talking to the Senators, saying: You have five amendments; I can only get you one. He will not accept this amendment. I have been told explicitly that you will not get this amendment or that amendment. That is happening every day.…”