Gwen Moore: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. This is a very emotional moment for me to see you leaving this body. You will…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. This is a very emotional moment for me to see you leaving this body. You will never leave my presence. You will be part of my life. I am going to follow you wherever you go, Barbara Lee. I want to say that Barbara Lee has always been kind of a broker- dealer to me. She is someone, as her sisters of her Catholic training encouraged her to do, to go where the need is the greatest. I remember one of my earliest memories of Barbara Lee was 20 years ago when I went to the first Democratic Caucus and almost got into a fistfight with Steny Hoyer as the consultants were urging us not to use the word ``poor.'' Don't talk about poverty. That is kind of a bad message. That won't help us win. Let me just tell you, I was ready to fight and argue. I mean, I had decided to try and reinvent myself coming from the Wisconsin State legislature to be a kinder, gentler lady from Wisconsin, but already I was stepping into big doo-doo with Steny Hoyer, the Caucus minority leader, as Steny Hoyer defended our consultant's admonition that we don't use ``poor'' as a word.…”