Walter Isaacson Quotes

We simply must look beyond partisan goals and find common ground as Americans. It is imperative that the Members of Congress recognize that partisanship will not serve the American people.

Too often bipartisanship is equated with centrism or deal-cutting. Bipartisanship is not the opposite of principle. One can be very conservative or very liberal and still have a bipartisan mind-set. Such a mind-set acknowledges that the other party is also patriotic and may have some good ideas. It acknowledges that national unity is important, and that aggressive partisanship deepens cynicism, sharpens political vendettas and depletes the national reserve of good will that is critical to our survival in hard times

How to Turn Democrats & Republicans Into Americans

It used to be that Democrats and Republicans would disagree, but they could be social to each other. There were times during the year that we acted together in the good of the country.

Let us exalt patriotism and moderate our party contentions.

As a country, we still have a lot of work to do. We need to agree on some basic rules for civil discourse.

Mutual forbearance and reciprocal concessions: thro' their agency the Union was established - the patriotic spirit from which they emanated will forever sustain it.

There is too much disagreement for disagreement's sake. In a time of persistent challenges that still call into question our most sacred aspirations as a country, we cannot afford shallow callous divisiveness in our public debate.

Political civility is not about being polite to each other. It's about reclaiming the power of 'We the People' to come together, debate the common good and call American democracy back to its highest values amid our differences.

As the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans should reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps, by sitting with each other for one night, we will begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.

For my part, I make this pledge to all of you: The politics of division, of pitting east against west, urban versus rural, region against region, and people against people will have no place in my Administration.

In a politically diverse nation, only by finding that common ground can we achieve results for the common good.

Goodness knows, we have horrible problems to face in this Congress. I hope we can face them as colleagues in working unitedly for the people of this country and certainly not indulging in animosity or referring to each other as ''enemies.''

There are some in Congress who would rather see their opponents lose than see their country win. That has got to stop…. They must find a way to put country ahead of party.

In a common project, we can bring together well-meaning people from the Left and the Right.

Where people are trying to split Americans from each other I want there desperately to be bipartisanship.

We live in the greatest country in the world, but the tone and destructive rhetoric across the ideological spectrum is tearing our country apart and we must return to a society that works towards finding common ground on issues where we disagree.

When you reach across the aisle and open your heart and mind, you might just find that you have more in common than you think with the guy on the other side of the fence.

A society where divisiveness leads to crassness that seems to feel it's justified by political bent. Is that really who we want to be? Is that what our nation was built on?

I hope America manages to steer itself away from partisanship and back to patriotism; we are all Americans. And as long as I can make people laugh and feel better, I'm happy.

So we should all, me included, stop fighting each other and arguing about our differences on certain policies.

I'm going to try to unite all Americans.

There's not a liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America.

You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.

I'm willing to meet with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who has a good idea, an open mind and a willingness to come together to tackle the challenges we face.