Jared Polis Quotes

We’ve got to debunk the myth that Democrats and Republicans are different species that cannot crossbreed.

We've gotten to the point now where Republicans and Democrats have nothing in common besides being members of the 'caustic caucus,' and we can't get anything done.

Rhetorically, President Obama is a champion of bipartisanship. In practice, though, he is almost always its enemy.

While I have worked hard to bring folks to the middle to craft common-sense solutions to the many problems that confront our nation, Washington is mired in gridlock, gamesmanship and constant partisan bickering.

I was interested in political failure here in the U.S. The way we're failing to work together to solve even our smallest problems, let alone the complex ones.

Unfortunately, the genuine relationships and friendships that some of us have developed across the aisle in recent years does not translate into a willingness to seek compromise, consensus, or middle ground on the major challenges facing our state. The extreme ideology of the self-styled Tea Party legislators in Arizona absolutely rules the day.

It's one of the few regrets of my presidency - that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. There's no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I'll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office.

It's one thing to earnestly try but fail to bring the two sides together. Though Democrats will deny it, that was the case with George W. Bush.

President Bush said that he wanted to change the tone in Washington. He has; it has gotten worse.

Have we come to the point where the Democratic Party needs a Republican President?

I have never seen American politics so divisive…. We can’t have Congressman not voting for things America needs because it is not popular in their district. We have to put America first.

We need less bipartisanship in Congress.

My Republican compatriots do not feel that people ought to work with Democrats across the aisle—Compromise is a bad word.

Reaching consensus has gotten harder. Today, a minority if the minority plays hostage politics. It’s all or nothing politics at its worst.

When I first came to the Senate, people in both parties went out of their way to have personal relationships.

The worst thing about our political system is that people debate; I wish our politicians were able to talk to each other rather than scream while trying to gain sound bites.

People who truly represent an extreme on either side have a very difficult time getting bipartisan support for what they're doing.

The one thing I'm absolutely tired of hearing is 'Republicans reaching across the aisle.' We need to step up and lead, ladies and gentlemen. I'm tired of reaching across the aisle.

I will not be making appointments to a committee that is not bipartisan.

I would like Obama to be tougher on going up against the Republicans, I don't think he should try to be so moderate.

I believe in working in a bipartisan manner.

Today, I think the attitude is that governing is not necessarily good politics, and the result is that it's much more partisan and much more divided.

Unlike the Reagan and Bush Administrations, with but one exception, the Clinton administration failed to reach out to Republicans in creating a new team, and eventually paid a political price.

It is amazing that the wisdom of the chattering class to the Republicans is always, always, always 'Surrender your principles and agree with the Democrats.' That's been true for my entire lifetime.

My concern about Barack Obama is he ran a campaign in 2008 where he said we're going to bring people together and solve big problems. And he specifically talked about the need to reach across the aisle and deal with issues like the economy, which was obviously the top issue in 2008. It has not happened.