David Obey

“You can't have a strong class="highlight">economy without a strong middle class.”

“Lobbyists are in many cases buffers between legislators and groups who are lobbying. In that way, they are useful.”

“If you want to be a party that is relevant, you have to be a party that is talking about the issues that people are talking about.”

“The purpose of a tax cut is to leave more money where it belongs: in the hands of the working men and women who earned it.”

“If you want to be a statesman, you have to be a politician first.”

“This is a town where you are defined by your enemies.”

“The purpose of a budget is to reflect the values of the country.”

“We have a responsibility to look after our brothers and sisters. And that's what we're supposed to do.”

“Secrecy is the enemy of efficiency, but it's also the enemy of democracy.”

“Earmarks are not pork. Earmarks are a constitutional right of a member of Congress.”

“We have the most religious freedom of any country in the world, including the freedom not to believe.”

“You can't have a strong nation with a weak industrial base.”

“If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu.”

“We're in a situation where the dumbest thing we can do is to do nothing.”

“This is not a time for ideological purity. It is a time for practical solutions.”

“If you think you're a leader and you turn around and no one is following you, then you're just out for a walk.”

“The last thing I want to do is raise taxes.”

“Americans are sick and tired of the politics of personal destruction.”

“There is no more important duty for a Member of Congress than to be a careful steward of the public's money.”

“We're not going to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.”