Alan K. Simpson
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Alan Simpson
Alan Kooi Simpson (born September 2, 1931 in Denver, Colorado) is an American Republican politician who served from 1979 to 1997 as a United States Senator from Wyoming. From 1985 to 1995 he was the Republican Whip in the Senate, and also served as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 1997 when Republicans regained control of the Senate. In 1995, he was ousted from his position as Republican Whip by Trent Lott of Mississippi, and did not seek reelection in 1996.
Simpson is an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, gay rights, and some forms of feminism, a stark contrast to the culturally right wing Republican Party of current times.
Quotes
- Any education that matters is liberal. All the saving truths, all the healing graces that distinguish a good education from a bad one or a full education from a half empty one are contained in that word.
- The word liberal distinguishes whatever nourishes the mind and spirit from the training which is merely practical or professional or from the trivialities which are no training at all.
- There is no "slippery slope" toward loss of liberties, only a long staircase where each step downward must first be tolerated by the American people and their leaders.
- If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.
- In your country club, your church and business, about 15 percent of the people are screwballs, lightweights and boobs and you would not want those people unrepresented in Congress.
- I've been a Republican all my life. They'll never throw me out. But they have an amazing ability to eat their young. They give each other the saliva test of purity every once in a while, and then they lose. And then they just sit around and bitch for four years. It's a fairly fascinating party.
| Preceded by: Clifford Hansen | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Wyoming 1979-1997 | Succeeded by: Mike Enzi |