“My greatest concern today is that we are putting our national security at risk by lurching from budget crisis to budget crisis.”
— Outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at Georgetown University this morning.
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“The most important influence on how members of Congress vote is not their constituents, but their party.”
— John Sides debunking in the Washington Post the oft-repeated refrain that gerrymandering is what is wrong with American politics today. Sides is an Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
“Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying — too many children. We must do something.”
— Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a shooting survivor, today before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control. NRA executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre will speak before the committee later today.
“What you are doing is admirable and noteworthy. You are recognizing reality.”
— Rush Limbaugh to Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today on his radio show. The two discussed Rubio's support of a bipartisan plan to reform immigration law.
“I’ve had this position for a very long time, even longer than Barack Obama and Joe Biden...I think where the Republican Party needs to go is we need to be a more modern party, we need to be a more inclusive party.”
— David Kochel, senior Iowa adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, urging Republicans to support same-sex marriage.
“We’ve got to stop being the stupid party. It’s time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults.”
— Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in the keynote address at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Charlotte yesterday.
“Well, there--see, he did not provide good counsel.”
— Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' only words during the oral arguments in nearly seven years. Justice Thomas was joking about a Harvard-educated counsel representing the murder suspect Jonathan Boyer; Justice Thomas' alma mater is Yale. The words were spoken last week, but the transcript was published yesterday.
“You look like you're giving aid to the arsonist.”
— Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner reflects on the backlash to the response to the financial crisis with David Wessel in today's Wall Street Journal. Geithner is due to leave his post January 25.
“This is our first task as a society-keeping our children safe.”
— A month after the Sandy Hook shooting, Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions to prevent gun violence and called upon Congress to pass major reforms. Click here for the President's full plan.
“Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel, I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.”
— In a statement released Jan. 15, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) endorses Obama's nominee for Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel. Schumer met with Hagel for 90 minutes Monday, and his concerns about Hagel's record on Israel and Iran were alleviated.
“We are not a deadbeat nation.”
— In his last press conference of his first term, President Obama today rejected the use of executive action granted through the 14th Amendment to solve the debt ceiling crisis. Obama wants Congress to raise the debt ceiling, so "we can pay our bills."
“Second inaugurals are always like second weddings. The first time brings excitement, great expectations, in fairy tale settings. The second time, reality sets in.”
— Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation on January 13, 2013. President Obama's second inauguration is a week from today.
“Unlike the first term, which was often referred to as a team of rivals, I think this is going to be more like a band of brothers.”
— Karl F. Inderfurth, an assistant secretary of state in the Clinton administration, on President Obama's second-term cabinet to the Washington Post.