Political Quotes

“I hope the country listens to what the senior Senator from Illinois has said about the ramifications of this shutdown. This is not a political exercise. This is not a bumper sticker thing. This is hitting every single family, every single person in America. It doesn't make a difference whether they are Democrats, Republicans or Independents. It is going to hurt and hurt badly. Whether you are saving money for your child to go to college, to put away for your retirement or are paying bills for an illness, all of us are going to be impacted. So I thank the distinguished senior Senator from Illinois for those comments. Madam President, on this 12th day of being paralyzed by this unnecessary shutdown, there are real results that will come about because of it. I have given several examples on the floor about how Vermonters are suffering due to this tea party shutdown. And I am sure the distinguished Presiding Officer probably has similar examples from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or others as well. Earlier this year I worked with Senator Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, to build the support we needed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act--VAWA--and I was proud when both the Senate and House passed the legislation with strong bipartisan votes and the President signed it. We put our differences aside--and we are philosophically very different--to help the people we serve, whether they are in Idaho, Vermont, Massachusetts or anywhere else.…”