With Barack Obama, We Will Turn The

If A Legislator Is Safe From Competition, Or If He Represents Groups With The Same Economic And Political Beliefs, He Does Not Have To Change His Ideas Or Respond To The Needs Of The Broader Population. He Can Rest Content With A Mediocre, Absentee Performance Knowing He Will Be Returned To Office. And As He Is Returned Year After Year The Seniority System Gives Him Immense Control Over People From Other Parts Of The Country Whose Views He Need Not Heed At All.

Legal Immigrants Play By The Rules And Come In Under The Law. They Work, Raise Their Families, Pay Taxes, And Serve In The Armed Forces. ... Legal Immigrants Do Not Seek To Cross The Border, Or Overstay Their Visas. They Come Here The Right Way. ... And, By And Large, They Are Here As The Result Of Reunifying Families.

From The Windows Of My Office In Boston ... I Can See The Golden Stairs From Boston Harbor Where All Eight Of My Great-grandparents Set Foot On This Great Land For The First Time. That Immigrant Spirit Of Limitless Possibility Animates America Even Today.

Supreme Court Nominations Are An Occasion To Pause And Reflect On The Values That Make Our Nation Strong, Just And Fair. And We Must Determine Whether A Nominee Has A Demonstrated Commitment To Those Basic Values.

One Question We Must Consider Today Is How We Can Take Action To Unify Our Nation, Heal Racial Division, End Poverty And Give Real-life Meaning To The Constitutional Mandate That There Be Equal Protection Under Law.