A question I often get is, "How do you maintain your sanity with so much happening all around you?" I think I developed a certain mental toughness that is required in the business. You have to have a thick skin and a brass bottom, because you're going to kicked a lot.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I lost three times before I got elected. There's no limit. Stay in pursuit of your dreams.

A lot of very competent people sometimes make errors.

I have no problems with private schools. I graduated from one and so did my mother.

Democrats have laid out a program that, if adopted, would make us independent of Middle Eastern oil in ten years, and create a new economy especially for those in rural America. Our program invests in clean energy alternatives and provides energy assistance for those in need.

You ought not be afraid of nuclear, but respectful of it. Yes, it has dangers, but it also has benefits. If not for nuclear, much of the medicine that's saving lives today would not be in existence.

Has he paid his dues? Is he black enough? John Lewis and I were out there marching and organizing sit-ins back in the '60s so that his children and my children would not have to do it. We would have been failures if had to do the same things we did.