Kathleen Hall Jamieson Quotes

Voters deserve - and they indeed expect - a good debate on the issues.

The two party electoral system performs the essential function of helping to legitimate the existing social order.

In Washington, particularly, the loyal opposition has a job to be the opposition. But you can't stop there.

It is unfortunate that people believe that in order to democratise something you have to get politicians out of the system.

I expect that after the election and the results that the international community will understand which was the framework of this process and under which law we have done this process.

Democracy is about voting and it's about a majority vote. And it's time that we started exercising the Democratic process.

The democratic process is only as great as the people who participate in it.

I believe in the critical importance of participating in the political system - from voting to standing for election. It's both rewarding and necessary that men and women of good will and clear thinking engage in honest, open debate.

If Truman wins, by God I'll make sure the President of the United States can speak to the country whenever he wishes.

Politics are almost as exciting as war.

Real political issues cannot be manufactured by the leaders of political parties. The real political issues of the day declare themselves, and come out of the depths of that deep which we call public opinion.

Universal suffrage exists in the United States without producing any frightful consequences.

If you feel so strongly about it, why don't you make it an issue and run against me.

It is very easy to have elections. It is very difficult to consolidate political order.

Opposition, n. In politics the party that prevents the Government from running amok by hamstringing it.

The vitality of democracy depends on popular knowledge of complex questions.

Politics is - once in a while - a forum for serious debate about political philosophy.

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

I think the American people deserve to have the issues debated, regardless of which side they're on, so that they are fully aware of what their representatives and senators are voting for and voting against.

Political institutions are fair game in political debates in a democracy. Nothing is more fair game, in fact, than political matters of public concern.

We can't have an intelligent foreign policy unless we have an intelligent public, because we're a democracy.

We pride ourselves on our democracy, but when you see the way it actually works, I think it is worthy of contempt.

I prefer the Greens to remain an opposition party that's able to hold the government to account.

Our democracy works because the parties air and debate their differences in public.

Jokes apart, I, like many other, am looking for strong and stable government. I don't want any chaotic political situation where the elected government is being toppled frequently.