Political Opponents Quotes

• Our politics are being hijacked by a comparatively small number of people who seek to dominate the debate by screaming the loudest. They see the world as an urgent struggle between true believers and nonbelievers. They attempt to impose strict litmus tests and insist on conformity. They demonize dissent and consider all political opponents their enemies. Fear is their favourite tactic as they try to divide and conquer

  John Avlon

  Struggle, Small Numbers, People

  31 Copy quote

• True leadership will not be measured by the ability to muzzle dissent, or to intimidate and harass political opponents at home. The people of the world want change. They will not long tolerate those who are on the wrong side of history.

  Barack Obama

  Leadership, Home, Long

  First Speech Before the United Nations General Assembly (64th Session), delivered 23 September 2009, New York, NY

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.

  Ronald Reagan

  Funny, Issues, Political

  Ronald Reagan (2004). “The uncommon wisdom of Ronald Reagan: a portrait in his own words”

  87 Copy quote

  Show source

• It's not so much about the cause, it's about feeling superior to political opponents.

  Glenn Reynolds

  Political, Feelings, Politics

  6 Copy quote

• Nobody ever won an election by spitting at his political opponents.

  David Frum

  Political, Opponents, Election

  "ABC Highlights Frum's Charge Fox News and Selfish Limbaugh to Blame for Health Defeat". "Nightline" with Terry Moran, www.newsbusters.org. March 22, 2010.

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.

  Max Planck

  Death, Truth, Growing Up

  Scientific Autobiography, and Other Papers "Scientific Autobiography" (1948) (translation by Frank Gaynor)

  107 Copy quote

  Show source

• I always believe when your political opponents are committing suicide, there's no reason to murder them.

  John Boehner

  Suicide, Believe, Political

  "Attack on President Bush Continues Past SCHIP Veto Override Vote" by Major Garrett and Chad Pergram, www.foxnews.com. October 19, 2007.

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• Contrary to conventional military and game theory, the most effective offense is sometimes a direct attack against your political opponent's greatest strength - not his weaknesses - to place him immediately on the defensive.

  Mark McKinnon

  Military, Games, Political

  4 Copy quote

• I dealt with people with diverse political views. If you find people who are your political opponents, and talk to them for an hour, chances are you're going to like them, and they're not full of hate.

  Cass Sunstein

  Hate, Views, People

  "Cass Sunstein explains why Star Wars is like America". Interview with Alex McLevy, film.avclub.com. June 2, 2016.

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• If every negotiation is conducted in public, then the minute one person says, well, what if we try this, next thing you know, the interest groups have piled all in, and the political opponents have shot it to pieces.

  Jonathan Rauch

  Political, What If, Trying

  Source: www.pbs.org

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• Vladimir Putin is a human rights abuser, responsible for deaths in Ukraine, Georgia and Syria, not to mention curious murders of his political opponents and journalists.

  Jake Tapper

  Ukraine, Rights, Political

  Source: www.washingtonpost.com

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• If supporters of equality for women want to vote for the best candidate, they must look to a person regardless of gender and must disregard the gender of political opponents.

  Karen DeCrow

  Political, Looks, Opponents

  10 Copy quote

• We do not have time to play at "oppositions" at "conferences." We will keep our political opponents... whether open or disguised as "nonparty," in prison.

  Vladimir Lenin

  Play, Political, Opponents

  9 Copy quote

• I can hardly think of an occasion when I've got into a stand-up fight with any political opponent. I've got my views, people know what they are, they can agree or they can choose to disagree. I'm not going to waste time just rubbishing everybody else.

  Charles Kennedy

  Fighting, Thinking, Views

  "Gently does it?" by Decca Aitkenhead, www.theguardian.com. April 9, 2005.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - not our political opponents, and certainly not a disingenuous filmmaker, who would have us believe.

  John McCain

  Believe, Political, Opponents

  John McCain's Speech at the Republican National Convention in New York City, New York, www.washingtonpost.com. August 30, 2004.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• Often dismissed or underestimated by political opponents, President Reagan had the most valuable weapon in the political arsenal: a bond with the people.

  Bill Jenkins

  Ties, People, Political

  18 Copy quote

• Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional political playbook in destroying and attacking a political opponent is not gonna work on Trump, because Trump's connection with his supporters or his audience is far deeper and far greater than most voters' connection with a candidate that's very popular. Reagan had the connection.

  Rush Limbaugh

  Political, Trying, Opponents

  "The Old Rules Don’t Apply to Trump". "The Rush Limbaugh Show", www.rushlimbaugh.com. June 24, 2016.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• You can't let a candidate run for too long. He will be dragged along, cut apart, put back together and ripped to shreds again - from both the political opponents and the media.

  Peer Steinbruck

  Running, Cutting, Media

  4 Copy quote

• Once upon a time my political opponents honored me as possessing the fabulous intellectual and economic power by which I created a worldwide depression all by myself.

  Herbert Hoover

  Carpe Diem, History, Political

  Herbert Hoover (1938). “Addresses upon the American road”, C. Scribner's sons

  8 Copy quote

  Show source

• Well, human rights defenders, freedom of speech advocates, lawyers that we spoke to said this is really an expansion. After the military ouster of Egypt's unpopular, but elected Islamist president in 2013, we saw political opponents being arrested by the thousands, really. Then we saw a popular comedian go off the air out of fear of retribution.

  Leila Fadel

  Military, Rights, Air

  "Egypt Expands Crackdown On Freedom Of Expression, Advocates Say". "Morning Edition" with Renee Montagne, www.npr.org. December 30, 2015.

  5 Copy quote

  Show source

• Primarily affecting low-information voters and members of the mainstream media, Obama Worship Syndrome attributes impossible capabilities to Obama's political opponents, finds excuses for every Obama failure in everyone around him and praises the president as the finest politician - nay, human being - of our time.

  Ben Shapiro

  Media, Political, President

  35 Copy quote

• The language of these Soviet show trials... could only be understood in the Aesopian imagery of the closed Bolshevik universe of conspiracies of evil against good in which 'terrorism' simply signified 'any doubt about the policies or character of Stalin.' All his political opponents were per se assassins. More than two 'terrorists' was a 'conspiracy'.

  Simon Sebag-Montefiore

  Character, Two, Evil

  5 Copy quote

• I still believe the Lewinsky investigation was way off from the focus of what Whitewater was, which turned out to be nothing at the end of the process. And I think that there were people who were determined as political opponents to not allow his presidency to succeed.

  Rahm Emanuel

  Believe, Thinking, People

  8 Copy quote