Political Quotes

“I come to the floor today to talk about the issue that got me into politics many years ago in the first place-- early childhood education. I thank my friend and colleague Chairman Harkin, whose leadership on this critical issue is unparalleled. I am delighted he is on the floor today as well. I also thank Senators Casey and Hirono for their strong support of early childhood education. They are great partners in this work as well. Of the 535 Members of Congress, I have to say each one of us comes to Washington, DC, with our own unique background. We are a collection of military veterans, farmers, business owners, and a lot more. As for me, I come to Congress as a mother and preschool teacher. When my kids were much younger, I found that their wonderful preschool program was being closed down by my State because of budget cuts. When my children were very young, I put them in my car and traveled to Olympia, our State capital, which is 100 miles away, to explain to these legislators, whom I did not know, why they could not cut this important program. When I got there, legislators told me there was nothing someone like me could do to save that preschool program. One legislator in particular told me I was just a mom in tennis shoes and had no chance of changing anything. He said I could not make a difference. Well, that made me slightly mad. I drove home, picked up my phone, started calling other moms and dads, and they called moms and dads from around our State.…”