to, they deserve better. and you know what, lawrence, besides the president, the president needs a team that he can throw the ball to on the state level. and i encourage all of your watchers to understand that we have to clean house. we need to clean all the state houses in this nation in terms of having elected officials that don t care about women and think that we need to be treated like second class citizens. we are not going to take it in ohio, arizona, virginia, we are going to stand up and fight. we are not going back. our foremothers fought too hard for us to have the rights and freedoms we have today so we re going to do it for them, ourselves, and we are going to do it for future generation of women. senator nina turner, michelle goldberg, and congresswoman wasserman schultz. thank you for reminding men that they were birthed, they were not hatched. amen. i think some of them needed that reminder. thank you. coming up. this week, republicans are flip-flopping big ti
for gabby giffords, whose selflessness and integrity in her decision to step down, whose absolute strength is an inspiration. watching her climb those stairs with her good friend debbie wasserman schultz and hand her letter of resignation to house speaker john boehner, and debbie wasserman schultz, one of her closest friends and kelly o donnell is still on the hill, i can remember speaking with congresswoman wasserman schultz so many times in arizona in the days after the horrible shooting, and the medical prognosis for her was so iffy, and she would look you in the eye and say, if you know gabby giffords the way i know gabby giffords, you won t count her out, and look what she has done. i don t think that there is a doctor of who treated her in those early days who would have thought this was possible, and all you can hope is that it does
know she, gabby, has made the right decision. hopefully it will be liberating for her in many ways, but that she goes without knowing the close ties we all feel personally to her, and so, mr. speaker, it is my honor to yield the floor now to very close friend of gabby, a leader in this house, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. the gentle lady from florida is recognized. if i can ask my colleagues to join me at the well. thank you, mr. speaker and madam leader. mr. whip and majority leader, i couldn t prepare anything this
not just him if you have frustration with washington. he s trying to set the tone for what we know will be a very competitive election year for president almost no matter who the republicans nominate, whether democrat, republican or independent. in this economy, political environment, any president would face a tough environment. this president s chance is to set the table, urge congress to do big things, jobs bill, payroll tax cut extension, other things ahead. all of us know, well aware the white house, republicans and democrats in the leadership on capitol hill will tell you, they don t expect big grand things to get done in this election year. payroll tax perhaps, a few other things. what the president is mostly doing tonight is framing his side of the debate for a very contentious election year. we re looking at gabrielle giffords, the congresswoman shot a year ago, just announced she will be retiring from the senate and hillary clinton, secretary of state giving her a
yes, you re in a state with high foreclosure, a state with very high unemployment. the president is trying to make the case things are getting better and his approach deserves a chance. he will make a case if things aren t getting better, perhaps because of dysfunction in washington. the president will make a case a do nothing congress is to blame, not just him if you have frustration with washington. he s trying to set the tone for what we know will be a very competitive election year for president almost no matter who the republicans nominate, whether democrat, republican or independent. in this economy, political environment, any president would face a tough environment. this president s chance is to set the table, urge congress to do big things, jobs bill, payroll tax cut extension, other things ahead. all of us know, well aware the white house, republicans and democrats in the leadership on capitol hill will tell you, they don t expect big grand things to get done in thi