Debate Quotes - Page 28

• There will be a debate on Firing Line between Buckley and Gore Vidal on the proposition: "This nation cannot survive as long as the income of 50 percent of the population is below the median." Mr. Vidal will take the affirmative.

  M. Stanton Evans

  Long, Population, Income

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• But on the other hand, in discussion and debate concerning social issues or American foreign policy, Vietnam or the Middle East, for example, the issue is constantly raised, often with considerable venom. I've repeatedly been challenged on grounds of credentials, or asked, what special training do you have that entitles you to speak of these matters. The assumption is that people like me, who are outsiders from a professional viewpoint, are not entitled to speak on such things.

  Noam Chomsky

  Hands, Issues, People

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• The weird thing about serious acting is I've always done impressions of people, all my life, and I did the thing called a balloon debate. The idea is there's a hot air balloon traveling across the Atlantic and it's going down and you have to give a speech as to why you should stay in the balloon. Six people are going to be chucked out and you want to stay.

  Tom Hiddleston

  Ideas, Air, People

  JustJared.com interview, www.justjared.com. December 21, 2011.

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• Politically, I don't care what party you're from, offer a point of view and let's see what happens and really debate the issues rather than use personal attacks. Really talk about it, talk about immigration, talk about education, talk about pollution.

  Robin Williams

  Party, Views, Issues

  "Robin Williams Interview License To Wed". Wild About Movies Interview, www.wildaboutmovies.com.

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• As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open debate in Germany after 1945, no doubt mainly because a nation which had murdered and worked to death millions of people in its camps could hardly call on the victorious powers to explain the military and political logic that dictated the destruction of the German cities.

  W. G. Sebald

  Military, Cities, People

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• These self-appointed deacons in the Church of Latter-Day American Literature seem to regard generosity (of words) with suspicion, texture with dislike, and any broad literary stroke with outright hate. The result is a strange and arid literary climate where a meaningless little fingernail paring like Nicholson Baker's Vox becomes an object of fascinated debate and dissection, and a truly ambitious American novel like Matthew's Heart of the Country is all but ignored.

  Stephen King

  Country, Hate, Heart

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• People have had certain ­assumptions in the past about ­Conservative governments, partly because of some of the things that happened in the 1980s, and partly because of the tone of some of the debate in the 1980s that appeared to say public spending on the arts was something you might want to progressively ­reduce.

  Jeremy Hunt

  Art, Past, Government

  "Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt: 'It is going to be tough'". Interview with Charlotte Higgins, www.theguardian.com. February 22, 2010.

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• It is a striking example of modern conservatism's emphasis on the moral worth of the individual. ... When I look at the debate over Elian...I have to say that rarely have I been prouder of my fellow conservatives.

  Ramesh Ponnuru

  Example, Looks, Moral

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• Lost in much of the national debate about immigration reform is how Democrats ultimately stand to gain electorally with any legislation or executive action that would put the newly legalized residents on a path to voting.

  Aaron Klein

  Voting, Immigration, Reform

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• We should all oppose - as Darwin did - views manifestly in conflict with the evidence, such as creationism... But we shouldn't set up this debate as 'religion v science'; instead we should strive for peaceful coexistence with at least the less dogmatic strands of mainstream religions, which number many excellent scientists among their adherents.

  Martin Rees

  Views, Numbers, Peaceful

  "Martin Rees: Atheists should drop anti-religion campaigns" by Ian Sample, www.theguardian.com. April 24, 2011.

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• Before the thunderous clamor of political debate or war set loose in the world, love insisted on its promise for the possibility of human unity: between men and women, between blacks and whites, northerners and southerners, haves and have-have-nots, self and self.

  Aberjhani

  War, Men, Self

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• Scientists themselves are of surprisingly little help. They find it difficult to talk of what they do because they tend to assume detailed knowledge is required for generalities to be understood. They find it hard to grasp the concept of the meaning of their work, assuming this to be a debate that takes place at a lower level than the specialized discussions with their colleagues. When they do generalize, - or "popularize" as it is usually called with a noticeable degree of contempt - they tend to reveal a startling philosophical naiveté.

  Bryan Appleyard

  Philosophical, Levels, Littles

  Bryan Appleyard (2004). “Understanding the Present: An Alternative History of Science”, p.18, Tauris Parke Paperbacks

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• President Bush said yesterday that it was appropriate for the White House to invoke Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers's religion in making the case for her to skeptical conservatives, triggering a debate over what role, if any, her evangelical faith should play in the confirmation battle.

  Peter Baker

  White, Yesterday, Play

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• During the Democratic presidential debate Howard Dean started off by apologizing to the crowd for having a cold. Then John Kerry apologized for once having a cold while serving his country in Vietnam.

  Conan O'Brien

  Country, Presidential, Vietnam

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• The debate analysis in the media is rampant with contest analogies of war, baseball, boxing, football; you name it. Any testosterone contest imaginable is fair game.

  Jonathan Raymond

  Baseball, Football, War

  "McCain Acts Like A Tough-Guy; We Need A Gentleman" by Jon Raymond, www.huffingtonpost.com. October 28, 2008.

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• Big news from last night's Republican debate, you guys. It turns out George Bush was actually the smart Texas governor.

  Jimmy Fallon

  Smart, Night, Texas

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• Tonight was the CNN primary debate with the four remaining candidates. It was kind of a change for Newt Gingrich. Usually when he's arguing with three people at once, it's his wife, his ex-wife, and his mistress.

  Jay Leno

  Cnn, Wife, People

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• The first presidential debate was down in Florida. Residents spent all day putting plywood on their televisions.

  David Letterman

  Florida, Presidential, Television

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• The internet's perfect for all manner of things, but productive discussion ain't one of them. It provides scant room for debate and infinite opportunities for fruitless point-scoring: the heady combination of perceived anonymity, gestated responses, random heckling and a notional “live audience” quickly conspire to create a “perfect storm” of perpetual bickering.

  Charlie Brooker

  Opportunity, Perfect, Storm

  Charlie Brooker (2009). “Dawn of the Dumb”, p.164, Faber & Faber

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• There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.

  Noam Chomsky

  Information, May, Assumption

  Noam Chomsky (2016). “Who Rules the World?”, p.39, Metropolitan Books

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• I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high - to permit the customary passions of political debate.

  John F. Kennedy

  Passion, Thinking, People

  Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, en.wikisource.org. July 15, 1960.

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• I'm always interested to see what films are made of books. I kind of don't participate as a filmgoer in any kind of debate about what's better, the book or the movie. So I think it's interesting when people want to do it.

  Daniel Handler

  Book, Thinking, People

  Interview with Tasha Robinson, www.avclub.com. January 12, 2012.

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• You cannot simply read the Quran,not if you take it seriously.You either have surrendered to it already or you fight it.
  It attacks tenaciously,directly,personally; it debates,criticizes,shames and challenges.
  From the outset it draws the line of battle, and I was on other side.

  Jeffrey Lang

  Fighting, Challenges, Battle

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• First, the oil and gas business pays its fair share of taxes. Despite the current debate on energy taxes, few businesses pay more in taxes than oil and gas companies. The worldwide effective tax rate for our industry in 2010 was 40 percent. That's higher than the U.S. statutory rate of 35 percent and the rate for manufacturers of 26.5 percent.

  John S. Watson

  Oil, Energy, Pay

  "CNN Newsroom" with Carol Costello, www.cnn.com. May 12, 2011.

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• There's Insanity on Both Sides of the Debate When You Argue with an Idiot.

  Ernie J Zelinski

  Inspirational, Insanity, Sides

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