23 Quotes by Patrick McHenry

I thought it would take years for a new member to become a player, ... It's better than I expected.

We have to make the system solvent going forward. We have to make it a pay as you go system. We can't afford the rapid rising costs.

We need to act sooner rather than later.

We've had a large undermining of our traditional values in this country. And I think that was a repercussion of the hippies in the '60s and their 'anything goes' attitude. Our generation has a realistic approach. We're not sort of pie-in-the-sky people.

We got a number of good things done this year. It's rewarding to turn an idea into law.

It was to set a tone, ... Just because the average age on our team is 10 years older, just because they're 100 pounds bigger and a foot taller, we would not be the demure members of Congress. We would actually be aggressive.

Often a blank slate gets to the court and then leans to the left,

This place is a much more sophisticated junior high school. There are the nice guys that everybody likes, the jocks, the geeks, the bullies ? they're all here. It's a representative democracy.

It's better to have this time now than 14 months from now, (but) we have to start talking to the base, or they will stay home.