James Carville Quotes

The level of discourse in this country is falling to a depth that cannot be sustained.

In the heat of our campaigns, we have all become accustomed to a little anger and exaggeration. Yet, on the whole, our political process has served us well.

I think America is going to have to think through whether it wants to uplift the political dialogue or advance an approach that divides and, frankly, can lead to violence.

Negative personal attacks have no place in public life and serve to erode public confidence in our basic institutions of government.

I'm very lucky in my constituency. I have very grown up sensible members who don't agree with me, but we never have a quarrel. I absolutely respect their views.

You don't have to go and criticize your opponents, how bad they are and so on. It is a contest of ideas. I got my ideas, you got your ideas right. We will let Singaporeans decide.

In some ways, political decency is a sign of a healthy democracy, but in other ways, it is the cause of it.

I never say bad things about my opponent.

You can do TV and radio without the personal insults.

At a moment when people are losing faith in their ability to participate in politics and make themselves heard, the media can play a critical role in reversing that sense of alienation.

I think you can be in disagreement with a president you support without being disrespectful or nasty or snide.

Americans are calling for a return to common sense in how we solve problems and how the people communicate with their government.

As a country, we still have a lot of work to do. We need to agree on some basic rules for civil discourse.

The Constitution protects freedom of speech, but we must expect more from our elected officials to heal divisions in our country and unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism.

The one thing that is distinctive about America historically has been the fact that we are all able to engage in public discourse without the political becoming personal.

We ought to be able to talk about ideas, we ought to be able to debate ideas because that's how you get to consensus and that's how you move this country forward and that's how you move this state forward. We do a better job of it in Iowa. We do.

I'm not a political filmmaker.

I stay far away from political humor.

From its skillful editing to its out-of-control budget and its relentless marketing, Mr. Obama's team played a different game at a different level than Sen. John McCain and his traditionalist staff.

Even though I've had the odd terse word to say about Donald Trump, I still get invited to events at the U.S. embassy. I always attend, because as long as they're prepared to hear the opposite viewpoint, then I'll never miss that chance when I can.

When I hear President Trump suggest policy ideas that run counter to American ideals, I speak out. In the same vein, when my constituents disagree with me, I welcome and champion their right to speak out.

Getting a lot more Americans interested in politics is not the same as getting a lot more Americans knowledgeable about the workings of democracy or government. It has brought the worldview associated with sports-talk radio to politics; you’ve got a team and you want that team to win, and the other team is always the worst, and the refs are always unfairly treating your side. Heaven forbid you concede that the other team played a better game.

Truth and non-violence are not cloistered virtues but applicable as much in the forum and the legislatures as in the market place.

You can disagree with someone on issues, but you should never get personal. Joe Biden has never gotten personal, to my knowledge, with a fellow senator.

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