Dick Gephardt Quotes

Description of those members of the Republican Congressional Caucus who wanted to shut down the government by not appropriating any money. Lemmings are rodents who follow each other even into great danger or death. If some run to a cliff and fall off, the others behind them will follow.

She was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and was the first Black woman to actively campaign for the Presidency

The Energy Industry had donated over $50 million to the Republican Party and the President and Vice President both had longstanding ties to the energy industry.

These were Catholic militias who armed themselves to protect against Protestant anti-Catholic violence. However, once organized they became a political force, a pattern which continued till modern times—organizations originally designed to protect against sectarian violence become major political forces, sometimes perpetrating more sectarian violence. Grattan, a parliamentarian unusual for his times, was one of the first to argue for the obligation of an elected member to the will of the electorate was offended by the Volunteers crudely trying to exercise political power while having no democratically elected leadership.

Sanders was an avowed democratic socialist and was elected as such. He went on to become a Senator. Cunningham went to Federal Prison, the most corrupt Congressman in American history.

Sparta, an ancient Greek city-state, trained all its young men for war. One “test” was each youth was to sneak into the countryside and murder someone’s slave and not get caught. The murder was against the laws of the society, but if the young man was caught he was punished severely, not for murder or attempted murder, but for getting caught.

Norquist was a modern day Party Boss. He controlled a number of large PACS conservative lobbyists. His “issue” at the time was that no one should allow Congress to do anything unless it was agreed that under no circumstances that would there be taxes of any kind passed and no tax loopholes would be closed. He required Republican candidates and members to sign a pledge before he would give them any campaign money. About 90% did. A generally agreed bad law was a tax subsidy for farmers who grew corn for ethanol. Most Americans wanted to repeal it. Norquist sent letters to the Republicans telling them that voting for repeal was ok and he would not see it as violating their pledge. See Norquist’s response {623265} .

Actually, Clinton was historically wrong. There have been several occasions in American history where an unelected party boss was able to control and veto the Congressional actions of members of their own party. However. The earlier occasions were in the 19th century—Norquist was the first of the party bosses to amass that kind of control in modern times.

“it” was the then conservative Republican notion of providing tax cuts and other benefits to the wealthy.

At the time, less than 10 percent of the American population approved of Congress—a historical low point. The polarization had caused some of the better members of Congress to leave the institution and vicious Tea Party primary fights within the Republican Party caused other good members to be defeated by inexperienced, extreme, ideologues. Congress was in a downward spiral.