Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality; he recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side. Instead, he turned the law inside out and made illegality legal.
Robert ByrdRead
That's what the Senate is about. It's the last bastion of minority rights, where a minority can be heard, where a minority can stand on its feet, one individual if necessary, and speak until he falls into the dust
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Senate serves as a vital platform for minority voices, ensuring they are heard and represented.
In this quote, Robert Byrd emphasizes the role of the Senate as a protective space for minority rights, illustrating that it is a crucial institution where even one individual can stand up and have their voice heard. He portrays the Senate as a last fortress for those who may be marginalized in society, underlining the importance of democratic representation and the duty of each senator to advocate for those without power.
Themes
SenateMinority RightsRepresentationDemocracyAdvocacy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about political representation, one might quote Byrd to emphasize the importance of minority voices in governance.
More from Robert Byrd
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Our purpose now is to reclaim democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism.
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Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust.
Thomas JeffersonRead
The ultimate victory of tomorrow is democracy, and through democracy with education, for no people in all the world can be kept eternally ignorant or eternally enslaved.
Franklin D. RooseveltRead
Republicans and others who are in anguish over the possibility of socialized medicine ought to have to explain their ideology to a mother with a sick newborn. They ought to have to explain how this nation can debate health care and not mention how abysmal ours is.
Richard CohenRead
The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.
Dwight D. EisenhowerRead
The authority of the Supreme Court must not be permitted to control the Congress or the Executive when acting in their legislative capacities, but to have only such influence as the force of their reasoning may deserve.
Andrew JacksonRead