Political Quotes

“That is why I think the loopholes need to be closed, and I thank the distinguished Senator for the colloquy. Exhibit 1 [From the National Review Online, July 5, 2011] Politics vs. Reality (By Thomas Sowell) It is hard to understand politics if you are hung up on reality. Politicians leave reality to others. What matters in politics is what you can get the voters to believe, whether it bears any resemblance to reality or not. Not only among politicians, but also among much of the media, and even among some of the public, the quest is not for truth about reality but for talking points that fit a vision or advance an agenda. Some seem to see it as a personal contest about who is best at fencing with words. The current controversy over whether to deal with our massive national debt by cutting spending, or whether instead to raise tax rates on ``the rich,'' is a classic example of talking points versus reality. Most of those who favor simply raising tax rates on ``the rich''--or who say that we cannot afford to allow the Bush ``tax cuts for the rich'' to continue--show not the slightest interest in the history of what has actually happened when tax rates were raised to high levels on ``the rich,'' as compared with what has actually happened when there have been ``tax cuts for the rich.'' As far as such people are concerned, those questions have already been settled by their talking points.…”