Quotes from the News
“If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am I.” Barack Obama
“There are some things about being president that I still have difficulty doing. For example, faking emotion. Because I feel it is an insult to the people I'm dealing with. For me to feign outrage, for example, feels to me like I'm not taking the American people seriously. I'm absolutely positive that I'm serving the American people better if I'm maintaining my authenticity. And that's an overused word. And these days people practice being authentic. But I'm at my best when I believe what I'm saying.” Barack Obama
“…and [Romney's] trying to get [Obama] to stand up and to be a man and to be an American.” Caller to On Point with Tom Ashbrook (WBHR-Boston). I consume a fair bit of media, but how'd I miss the part where Romney's goal was urging the president to become two things he's been since birth? Is this another stunning achievement for Romney or the reason the media often dismisses The Average American?
“One problem for the Obama administration, in my view, is that the stimulus [Recovery and Reinvestment Act] included 5 or 6, or arguably even 10 or 12, bills that, if passed on their own, would be major achievements that the administration would be bragging about today. A stand-alone $29 billion bill to digitize the country's medical records is a big deal. A $90 billion investment in jump-starting renewables is a big deal.” Ezra Klein
“What do we believe…We believe that government has a role to play, not in solving every problem in everybody's life but in helping people help themselves to the American dream…If we want to earn the privilege to lead, it's time for Democrats to stiffen our backbone and stand up for what we believe.” Deval Patrick
“I am the 6th most conservative Democrat in the House of Representatives.” Indiana candidate for U.S. Senate and current Congressman Joe Donnelly
“Facts matter.” Joe Biden
“The American dream is not a sprint, or a marathon, but a relay.” Julian Castro
“Like so many American families, our families weren't asking for much…They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don't start with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, that you should still be able to build a decent life for yourself and and even better life for your kids and grandkids.” Michelle Obama
“Because when you give a speech, you don't give a laundry list. You talk about the things that you, uh, you think are important.” Mitt Romney, explaining to Bret Baier of Fox News why he didn't mention Afghanistan or the troops in his RNC convention speech. Yes, old, but it still rankles. What's that old saw about a gaffe being when a politician accidentally speaks his mind?
“Reporting as 'fact-checking' might have started as a check on outright falsehoods, but it has morphed into a technique for supposedly non-partisan journalists to present opinions as 'facts'. The credibility of reporting has enough problems without claiming objectivity while practicing subjectivity.” L. Gordon Crovitz
“All that exists for any president are the odds.” Michael Lewis
And, your moment of What the Hell are You Saying?!?
A caller from Iowa City to WBHR-Boston's On Point with Tom Ashbrook: “I would like [Obama] to explain why gay marriage is good for the United States and why we should…look forward into the future where gay men can use the women's bathroom and showers.”
Tom Ashbrook: “So you're being facetious?”
Mr. Iowa City: “No, I'm not. I'm saying gay rights is gay rights. Gay men deserve to use the women's bathroom. Well, when will he come out and say that?”
Now, what you need to know about this interchange is: it begins hopping-mad and finishes bewilderingly insistent. I honestly don't know if this guy is in favor of unisex bathrooms by executive order.
Man, oh man, people are weird. Or, as Mr. Iowa City might say, “nuttery is nuttery.” And you can't argue with that.
