Well, what I tried to do is simply to get out on the land. And when I came to Washington, I think one of the mistakes we made early on was kind of having an ideological dispute up in the Congress.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
We all went up to Washington on a mission to change things. What I found is that the Founding Fathers set it up where it's a little more difficult to do. We've got the Senate and the president to deal with.
You can't go to Washington as a congressman and a senator and expect to make a difference all at once. You have to earn your way.
But I made one mistake which I would never repeat as a member of Congress when I was in Washington, and that was when I was elected I didn't go on trips because I was so afraid of having someone accuse me of taking junkets.
I believe I was sent to Washington to fight for and defend our traditional values of smaller government, lower taxes, a strong national defense, and the lives of the unborn.
While we face economic obstacles that challenge every decision made in Washington, decisions made merely for political gain must stop. It's time to restore civility in Congress. It's time for action where action is needed - all politics aside.
The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop.
I resent Washington telling states, or the residents of those states, what to do and what to think.
Sometimes you've got to make a hard decision, and there's a real reluctance to make hard decisions in Washington.
I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.
All I want to do is get back to a principle-based Congress.