Political Quotes

“I listened to this whole debate on term limits with some interest. I am well aware of the fact that the Republican leadership has tried to set this up so that nobody can introduce any amendments. The Republican leadership has filed for cloture within 5 minutes of beginning proceedings and is apparently going to do everything possible to block anybody from raising questions. I succeeded a Republican Senator. Everybody who has ever been elected from Vermont has succeeded a Republican Senator because I am the only Democrat our State has ever elected. We are the only State in the Union that has elected only one, and, for better or worse, that is me. My predecessor, a distinguished Republican, was elected the year I was born and served until I arrived here. This Republican Senator was considered the dean of the Senate. The fact that he served from the year I was born until I came here probably gives some sense of term limits in our State. Frankly, I have a great deal of respect for our distinguished majority leader, Senator Dole. On term limits, I would have only gotten a chance to serve with him for one term, way back in the 1970's. Then he would have been gone. The distinguished President pro tempore, Senator Thurmond, who held elective office long before I was born, I would not have gotten a chance to serve with him at all. In fact, virtually the whole Republican leadership would have been long gone by now.”