Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. President. I particularly thank the Presiding Officer and congratulate him for bringing this education flexibility bill to the floor of the U.S. Senate, where it should have been passed rapidly. It came out of committee 17-1. That is bipartisan. The Presiding Officer worked hard and found the common ground for education. All during the trial, we talked about the need to get on with the country's business; and we did. We met mornings, up to the time of the trial, in committee meetings; and we passed bills out of committee. In fact, we passed more bills out of committee than passed the Senate in the entire first year I was here. We did the work of the country. We found common ground. We had a promise that common ground would be the way of the Senate for these next 2 years. Where did the common ground go? Seventeen to one; that is common ground. I hear expressions that we want to do things for education. Well, at this moment I know that for the Democrats education is merely a smokescreen, flash-in-the-pan politics. The Republicans are insisting on a politics of performance; the Democrats are utilizing a politics of the polls. The Republicans insist on promises kept; the Democrats insist on promises made, politics as usual. That is what gives politics a bad name: Promising things you do not intend to deliver on. We have been talking about paying for the promises we have already made. That is what IDEA is about.…”