Political Quotes

“as someone who travels around this country, I am always amazed by the huge disconnect that exists between what we do here in Congress and what the American people want us to do. The simple truth, as poll after poll has shown, is that Congress is way out of touch as to where the American people are. Let me give a few examples before I get to the thrust of my remarks. Many of my Republican colleagues are still talking about cutting Social Security--a disastrous idea--but according to a recent NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll, by a 3-to-1 margin the American people want us to expand Social Security benefits, not cut them. How out of touch can one be? About 2 weeks ago, the same poll told us that while there is virtually no Republican in the Senate who is prepared to support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, what the American people want by a pretty solid majority is not to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour but to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour--something that is occurring now in Los Angeles, Seattle, and other places around the country. Tragically, this Congress is way out of touch with the American people on issue after issue, and it is high time we started to get our act together and to respond to the needs--the pressing needs--of the American people. Between 1985 and 2013, there was a huge redistribution of wealth in America. I know my Republican colleagues get very nervous when people talk about wealth distribution.…”