So laying people off is not something I do lightly, it's not something I relish.

Actually, as president of the Conference of Mayors, we passed the Simpson-Bowles plan as a template, as a template, as a frame work for moving forward and the president has done the same.

You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate.

So laying people off is not something I do lightly, it's not something I relish.

We're not a homogeneous party, anymore than the Republicans are. But we are a party that I think has a plan to take us forward.

The great thing about our system of democracy is when they call you for jury duty, you have to come... It's an honor and a privilege. I was called and I've got to be here.

My father was predisposed to drunken rages. I would hide under the bed. My sister and I were talking just the other day about the terror a drunken man in a rage can create in a child.