Robert Byrne Quotes

In a democracy, not everyone gets what they want.

I think the American people should express their preferences, and we'll accept their choice.

I'm the one who initiated the democratic process.

The conception of political equality can mean only one thing—one person–one vote.

The Senate of the United States has been both extravagantly praised and unreasonably disparaged, according to the predisposition and temper of its various critics…. The truth is, in this case as in so many others, something quite commonplace and practical. The Senate is just what the mode of its election and the conditions of public life in this country make it.

The Electoral College is an antidemocratic relic.

Democratic politics involves both principals and power. To argue only for principles is narcissistically self indulgent.

Democratic processes require time.

I've never understood multi-party democracy. It's hard enough with two parties.

Controversial disputes are a part of democratic culture.

Remember, it is not about voting for the perfect candidate - there is no such thing. Presidents are human.

Our national political campaigns never stop. We seem convinced that majorities exist to impose their will with few concessions and that minorities exist to prevent the party in power from doing anything important. That's not how we were meant to govern.

In a democracy, voting is a huge and most important right of a common man.

Democracy is finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.

I hate politics. It's slimy. Any job where people pander for votes, I don't like. The country has gotten so partisan that if you're not on my side, you're the enemy. The only thing I ever try to support is a third party, like Unity08. We need more parties and more choice.

I have always voted for who I believed was the best person.

The principles governing Western democracies, of which Israel rightly considers itself a part, are based on the assurance that everyone has a vote, but also that the minority needs to yield to the wishes of the majority.

If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.

I raise this objection to debate the process, and protect the integrity of the true will of the people.

Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.

In democracy everyone has the right to be represented, even the jerks.

When you work in the United States Senate, and you are around people of all different ideas and beliefs, you realize that what our Founding Fathers did that was so genius, is that they made the Senate the place where compromises are supposed to happen because of the makeup of the Senate.

Democracy involves that old-fashioned thing called working it out.

You know, we're taught that in a democracy power comes from being elected.

I'm an extreme libertarian, but I realize we're in a democracy, and in a democracy, people can have views of all stripes, and there's no reason to argue about it.