Jim Webb Quotes

Senators here were elected to the Senate and not to the caucus ... great questions of this sort should be debated in public and decided in public.

A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency.

I am proud to be in the Senate. I have always been proud to be a part of our political system. It is a remarkable privilege to participate in this system of ours.

Learn the Constitution. Then when someone wants to be elected, hold their feet to the fire and make them follow it because that's what we need to get back to. It works so well when we follow it.

Part of what's great about America, and Canada as well, is that we can talk about our political leaders in public.

Government is not a game show, though at times it is amusing and entertaining to watch.

I'm just the democratic voice of Bolivia.

I enjoyed my stay in the Congress. Most people do not. And too many people who have been elected really don't understand the nature of government.

I believe in the greatness of our democracy.

I very, very much want to be involved in helping those senators, congressmen, and women who support the principles that made America great.

The better the information it has, the better democracy works. Silence and secrecy are never good for it.

In a government such as ours we have vigorous contests to determine who should lead. The recent election was no exception. Now we inaugurate a new government on a day that transcends any one individual or any one party.

Machiavelli's teaching would hardly have stood the test of Parliamentary government, for public discussion demands at least the profession of good faith.

The Australian public are very fair and they are always prepared to give the leader of a major political party a fair go.

Opening up the Capitol dome and giving the public a look at the inner workings of Congress - however messy they may be - certainly won't be pretty. But trust isn't earned by showing off only your Sunday best. The dirty laundry has to be aired, too.

A mature society understands that at the heart of democracy is argument.

The American people expect and deserve a government that works and leaders who work together.

But in the end our government usually - not unfailingly - is responsive to the people; and usually - not always - will try to do what is right.

Voters will decide how they want to be governed.

The great constitutional corrective in the hands of the people against usurpation of power, or corruption by their agents is the right of suffrage; and this when used with calmness and deliberation will prove strong enough.

Democracy has always been in crisis: democracy is all about practicing the art of bearable dissatisfaction. In democratic societies, people often complain about their leaders and their institutions. The gap between the ideal democracy and the existing one cannot be bridged.

Democracy is not about making speeches. It is about making committees work.

I am especially proud of taking on issues most central to the health of our American democracy.

A government of, by and for the people is obligated to conduct the nation's business in a manner that respects dissent.

National security laws must protect national security. But they must also protect the public trust and preserve the ability of an informed electorate to hold its government to account.