Political Quotes

On the recordJuly 12, 2016
it is an honor for me to follow Senator Markey, who has battled so long and so effectively in this struggle against such odds, and I think we both feel the tide has turned, things are going our way, but we have to hurry because nature is unforgiving. As the Pope said: God forgives, mankind forgives sometimes, but nature never forgives. You slap her and she will slap you back. And we have given nature one hell of a slap with climate change. When I was here yesterday, I was pointing to the web of denial and pointing out that the web of denial has to mislead to be effective. That is what it is--a tool to mislead. I pointed out what a Koch brothers operative described as its goal when this whole web was being developed. This was the quote: ``It would be necessary [to] use ambiguous and misleading names, obscure the true agenda, and conceal the means of control.'' Well, if you are looking for ambiguous and misleading names that can obscure the true agenda and conceal the means of control, one tactic would be to exploit our Founding Fathers--to seize their names and use them to lend authority and gravitas to the deception, in the same way that using the names of Lord Acton, the famous historian, or George C. Marshall, the hero of World War II, accomplished that task. In this case, the names are Franklin, Madison, and Jefferson, and they are joined by the philosopher John Locke.…
Said by
Sheldon Whitehouse
Democratic · Rhode Island
Source
govinfo.gov
Jul 12, 2016

Share

More from Sheldon Whitehouse

Jul 8, 2026

The Department failed to respond to Congress, and instead, on May 18, 2026, announced that it had settled an unrelated IRS lawsuit with President Trump to create a $1.8 billion slush fund to compensate alleged victims of DOJ…

padilla.senate.gov
Jun 5, 2026

He’s off to a really strong start and has a wonderfully appealing local background and story.

foxnews.com
Jun 18, 2026

Many Americans don’t believe Democrats are fighters.

vox.com
Jun 18, 2026

Climate change is right now raising costs for families across the country through higher property insurance premiums, grocery and electric bills, and health care expenses.

vox.com

Other voices in this conversation