Political Quotes

“when I was in third grade, I read all of Dickens and all of Robert Louis Stevenson. I remember two words that really struck me during that time. The words ``pettifoggery'' and ``balderdash.'' I have heard more pettifoggery and balderdash on the other side this evening than I could imagine. The fact of the matter is this. The Republican Party--and many of them are dear friends of mine--orchestrated a partial shutdown of the government last year. It cost the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and it accomplished nothing. Well, I shouldn't say it accomplished nothing. It stopped cancer research and a number of other things. Now they are trying the same thing with the Federal judiciary by taking judges who had passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and doing what the Republicans did with the very first nominee of President Obama who came up. They filibustered it--something that had not been done ever in my 40 years here with either Republican or Democratic presidents--ever. This was a judge supported by the most senior Republican in the Senate. Shortly after that, the Republican leader said his primary goal was for President Obama to fail. Unfortunately for them, he didn't. He was reelected resoundingly. But they have now achieved a partial shutdown of the Federal judiciary by blocking these judges. It is balderdash and pettifoggery. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas.”