Legislative Opposition Quotes
La Guardia was the foe of pork-barrel politics:
This practice to try and derail bills they objected to emanated from the hyperpartisanship of the time. The conservative base of voters so opposed the legislation that they would not punish and not vote for a member of Congress for deliberately lying as long as the lies contributed to the conservative political ideology. Some of the members had this as a justification for lying in this way: “These provisions are exactly what the Democrats would add as an amendment or by regulations if they could. It is important that the voters know that they will do if the legislation passes and realize that they people who support this terrible legislation really desire to socialize the American Economy.” Often, they would base their judgment about what the Democrats wanted by taking a single statement made by someone at the extreme left and claim that that was Democratic party thinking. The tactic worked in a number of cases, but not with Dodd-Frank which passed despite a Republican filibuster in the Senate. Some of the extreme liberals in Congress then started to use the techniques in the House of Representatives where they were in the minority.
He was commenting to a simple, minimal, bipartisan bill he had cosponsored to provide justice and fairness to the "dreamer" immigrants.
