Barack Obama: “I'm for the public option.”

The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.

A drift towards extremism was "not inevitable

It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.

I think when we act on that basis, it doesn't always work out, but over time things do get better.