Quotes About Politics

History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, but more importantly, what they must be.

Now normally I consider nostalgia to be a toxic impulse. It is the twinned, yearning delusion that (a) the past was better (it wasn't) and (b) it can be recaptured (it can't) that leads at best to bad art, movie versions of old TV shows, and sad dads watching Fox News. At worst it leads to revisionist, extremist politics, fundamentalist terrorism, and the victory—in Appalachia in particular—of a narcissist Manhattan cartoon maybe-millionaire

Whatever you may have thought about Hillary Clinton, my daughter watched as a highly experienced and qualified woman lost a job to a neophyte dilettante cartoon character of a white man who openly bragged of molesting women. My daughter isn't dumb. She got the message.

Now normally I consider nostalgia to be a toxic impulse. It is the twinned, yearning delusion that (a) the past was better (it wasn't) and (b) it can be recaptured (it can't) that leads at best to bad art, movie versions of old TV shows, and sad dads watching Fox News. At worst it leads to revisionist, extremist politics, fundamentalist terrorism

why is there no right-wing Daily Show? And we would glibly, pridefully answer that the conservative movement could not be funny because it was, by nature, authoritarian, prudish, untruthful, and dull.

The nearest approach to a libertarian government was the government of the United States at the time of its inception.

Democracy is essentially government by the majority, and a majority may be stupid, unenlightened, foolish, misled, and corrupt.

A fascist is anyone who, seeing a man working hard and earning money, says, He's getting more than we are, let's pass

THERE'S NO MONKEY BUSINESS ABOUT THIS ELECTION,' he told the voters. 'IF YOU'RE ENOUGH OF AN ASSHOLE TO VOTE FOR NIXON, YOUR DUMB VOTE WILL BE COUNTED––JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE!

Moreover, there was what Amy called "the cocksuckers' contingent of the country"—what Danny knew as the dumber-than-dog-shit element, those bully patriots—and they were too set in their ways or too poorly educated (or both) to see beyond the ceaseless flag-waving and nationalistic bluster.

I'll tell you what's wrong with dumb-shit patriotism--it's delusional! It signifies nothing but the American need to win

IF YOU ABOLISH THE DRAFT, said Owen Meany, MOST AMERICANS WILL SIMPLY STOP CARING WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Ciocia Marta (....) w obronie demokracji potrafi?a sta? si? tyranem.

If women are Republicans, they've been brainwashed—the men have brainwashed them," Nana said.

As Nora had also said, "Nothing will change." She meant the Catholic Church and the Republicans, but—according to Em—the Republicans would get worse.

Wat weten Amerikanen eigenlijk van moraal? Ze willen niet dat hun president een penis heeft, maar het doet hen niets als hun president stiekem hulp voor Nicaraguaanse rebellen organiseert nadat het Congres dat heeft verboden; ze willen niet dat hun president zijn vrouw bedriegt, maar het kan hen niets schelen als hun president het Congres bedondert - als hij liegt tegen het volk en de grondwet van het volk schendt.

THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN GET AMERICANS TO NOTICE ANYTHING IS TO TAX THEM OR DRAFT THEM OR KILL THEM," Owen said. He said that once—when Hester proposed abolishing the draft. "IF YOU ABOLISH THE DRAFT," said Owen Meany, "MOST AMERICANS WILL SIMPLY STOP CARING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD." I

THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN GET AMERICANS TO NOTICE ANYTHING IS TO TAX THEM OR DRAFT THEM OR KILL THEM," Owen said. He said that once—when Hester proposed abolishing the draft. "IF YOU ABOLISH THE DRAFT," said Owen Meany, "MOST AMERICANS WILL SIMPLY STOP CARING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

What do Americans know about morality? They don't want their presidents to have penises but they don't mind if their presidents covertly arrange to support the Nicaraguan rebel forces after Congress has restricted such aid; they don't want their presidents to deceive their wives but they don't mind if their presidents deceive Congress—lie to the people and violate the people's constitution!

If or when there's another plague, I hope America has a better plague president than Ronald Reagan," the

If women are Republicans, they've been brainwashed—the men have brainwashed them," Nana said. The nurses at River Bend reported that my grandmother was always saying this. There were residents at River Bend who refused to sit with Nana in the dining hall; probably they were Republicans.

the public entertainment of any period distinguishing the period as clearly as its so-called politics

What do Americans know about morality? They don't want their presidents to have penises but they don't mind if their presidents covertly arrange to support the Nicaraguan rebel forces after Congress has restricted such aid; they don't want their presidents to deceive their wives but they don't mind if their presidents deceive Congress—lie to the people and violate the people's constitution!

The classes they taught were for no student's special development; their interests were the subject themselves—their passions were for the politics of the university, or of their own departments within it—and their overall view of us students was that we should conform ourselves to their methods of their disciplines of study.