JOHN YARMUTH

Kentucky has always said you can't really make bourbon outside of Kentucky because it's a combination of the barrels and the limestone-fed springs that give us the water. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

Palin, Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and others have made an art form of convincing far too many Americans to suspend their disbelief, and they have severely damaged the ability of our country to have serious discussions about serious challenges.

We know the Republicans are happy to keep the country in the dark, and if we Democrats are to recapture the power necessary to assert our values, we must find the energy, courage, creativity and unity to map out a brighter day for the people we sincerely want to serve.

What people want out of their politicians is exactly the same thing that I want - somebody who is approachable, willing to work, and tells me the truth as they see it.

Every time I hear a Republican talking about health care reform, they say the American people don't want it. They say it so much that I think they're beginning to try to convince themselves that it's true.

I know that in the battle of ideas, Republican politicians are at a distinct disadvantage. Their fundamental philosophy - which I characterize as survival of the fittest, richest and whitest - is too callous for most Americans.

I really don't think there's a lack of good will between members of the parties. I go back a long way with a lot of Republicans, so I don't think it's personal. But there does seem to be a much greater gap in both the philosophy and emphasis on partisan victories as opposed to policy development.

Taking responsible steps to reduce poverty is not merely a moral imperative but an economic one.

Rejecting the fundamental provision of the Civil Rights Act is a rejection of the foundational promise of America that all men and women should be treated equally, a promise for which many Americans have lost their lives.

I have a treasure trove of Baker memories, all of which reinforce my sense of Howard Baker as one of the most decent people with whom I have worked. While I was simply a young staffer, he never treated me or my colleagues as anything else but equals.

People aren't necessarily as concerned with how you vote as long as they feel they have a voice. If you can cross that basic threshold - that is, when a voter knows you're willing to listen to them and that you care about their lives - then that's most of what you need to get their vote. It's not your voting record.

The American people are desperately seeking a Moses to lead them out of the wilderness, back to the land of milk and honey. They thought maybe Barack Obama was the one, and when he proved to be mortal after all, they were willing to listen to anyone new.

Leading is not hypothetical debating; it's about solving real problems.

If you destroy the credibility of those people or institutions that could undermine your own, you create an opportunity for your voice, however irresponsible or misleading it may be, to gain traction.

If it can't be proven that mountaintop removal mining is safe, we shouldn't allow it to continue.

The American people don't believe politicians. They don't believe business leaders or Hollywood celebrities or athletes or other supposed role models. And they certainly don't believe the news media.

When your voice contradicts reality and truth, the only way to create space for it is to discredit reality and truth.

Federal assistance helps millions of Americans escape poverty every year by providing the stability needed to take advantage of new opportunities. In fact, it is our safety net that allows full participation in the economy. More Americans purchasing goods means more Americans making them, which means more American jobs.

The reason I ran in 2006 was to make my district one of the fifteen that at the time it would have taken to switch the control of the House and stop the Bush agenda. The second priority I had was to provide health care for everybody. And the third was to do public financing of campaigns.

Actually we're not hearing a lot about gas prices right now from constituents. And I think that reflects a growing understanding on the part of the public, that there really is very little that the government and politicians can do.

Countries make policies for themselves. And Donald Trump wants to make - that's his policy.

Walls are very important when you're separating two urban areas where if you're actually able to get over the border you can probably get into the underground network in about 30 seconds. But when you're out in the middle of the desert, it makes no sense because you have border security people have up to a day to apprehend people who are crossing illegally.

The only thing I heard Speaker [Paul] Ryan say that made sense was, we actually really need to look at this and see what makes sense and what doesn't, because electronic detection in those kind of - and drones and other types of border protecting devices seem to be much more effective in certain places.

I don't think this wall [Donald Trump wants to build], having the - there's no way to force them to, but expecting the Mexicans to pay for it doesn't make any sense either.

He [Donald Trump]wants to build the wall. It would be silly to say we're going to - we're going to create an army and we're going to have Mexico pay for our border patrol, our border police. Clearly, that's not going to happen.