Political Quotes

“I guess one of the advantages of being President pro tempore is I actually get to preside more than I had for a while and hear some of the speeches of my colleagues, which I appreciate. The Senate is a place I love, as I know the distinguished Presiding Officer does. It is, as I have often said, a place that should be considered the conscience of the Nation. There are only 100 of us representing over 300 million Americans. We should be able to stand and be their conscience. I worry, though--as I hear the debate on this so-called fiscal cliff and I hear some on the other side say, well, we are not prepared to vote or we don't want to vote--because that means they want to vote maybe. None of us were elected on a promise to vote maybe. If the other side wants to vote and give huge tax cuts to longtime millionaires, fine, then vote. Vote yes for that if they want. But don't say: We will not have any vote one way or the other; we will vote maybe. We are supposed to be willing to take the consequences of how we vote. Vote yes or vote no. If a Member wants to vote for keeping taxes lower for the middle class, for those who have hourly wages, for those who work hard in our economy, then stand and vote yes, we want to give them a tax break. If a Member doesn't want to give them a tax break, then vote no.…”