POLITICS: Some thoughts watching Congress debate the government shutdown.

 

Mark Twain with cigar.

According to Mark Twain:

-- "It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."



-- "Whiskey is carried into committee rooms in demijohns and carried out in demagogues."



-- "Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can."

-- "I never can think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature, Congressman." 

-- "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

According to Will Rogers



Willl Rogers with homburg hat.



 -- "The taxpayers are sending congressmen on expensive trips abroad. It might be worth it except they keep coming back!"

-- "This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer." 

-- "The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected [to Congress]."

-- "The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."

-- "With Congress, every time they make a joke it's a law, and every time they make a law it's a joke."

According to Jay Leno

 

-- “Congress is very upset with Roger Clemens because they feel like they were lied to. Good! Now they know how we feel.” –Jay Leno

 

According to Bob Hope

-- (At a White House Correspondents Association dinner for President Eisenhower)  "It is a great pleasure to be here, entertaining our President. ...  We were supposed to have smoked tongue for dinner tonight, but Senator Morse was not available.  I see Senator McCarthy is here tonight (he wasn't) with his food taster.   I first met the President ten years ago in North Africa, where he was a general. He had some authority then."