I can do an hour-long speech about Democrats taking African Americans for granted, and I'd have a line behind me of very prominent African-Americans who would say, 'Amen.'
Congress is unable to do the work of the American people because too many politicians believe that compromise means capitulation.
We've gotten to the point now where Republicans and Democrats have nothing in common besides being members of the 'caustic caucus,' and we can't get anything done.
The language has changed. When I grew up and watched the campaigns of John Kennedy, even with Richard Nixon, there was a lot higher level of civility. Now we describe a disagreement as an attack.
Community colleges need to be upgraded. We got to have training for real jobs. We've got a lot of jobs that are going unfilled because we don't have the technology in the heads of graduating college students to deal with them.
Congressman Lacy Clay and I believe that there's no excuse for shooting at police officers, law enforcement officers who get up in the morning and go out and put their lives on the line to protect us.
Social Security is a covenant that should not be broken.
I have, with great intentionality, a demeanor that I hope is welcoming for people to not be afraid to talk to me or, you know, ask me a question.
We can be fervent in our disagreements without being factitious with our beliefs.
I have family in Tanzania. I can't even explain the joy of riding through the Tanzania national park and seeing giraffes run across the road and elephants over in a pond and baboons running.
Hope is the motivation that empowers the unemployed, enabling them to get out of bed every single morning with unbounded enthusiasm as they look for work.
The truth of the matter is the tone is toxic here in Washington, and we have been exporting it around the country.
We may be a nation of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, but first and foremost we are all human beings and Americans.
First of all, do I think there's some racists in the Tea Party? Yeah. I'm an ordained United Methodist pastor; there's some racists in the Methodist church. I don't know if there's a body that does not have some racists in it.
What we don't need to work toward is polarizing America any greater than it is. Look, I'm up here in Washington, D.C., in the Congress of the United States, and we have, all day, a lot of verbal vomit that is doing enormous damage.
One thing I've learned - and I've said this to Republicans and Democrats - is, bees cannot sting and make honey at the same time. They have to make a choice. Either they are going to be a stinger or a honey-maker, and I contend that honey is a symbol of legislation and, the nuclear language used by members is the stinger, and you can't do both.
You make America great by making America available to a wide variety of people.
