Carl Hulse Quotes

The judiciary is not supposed to be the dominant branch of the federal government. It is supposed to be one of three equal branches. For now, Republicans have the upper hand because Democrats don’t have the votes in Congress to change the law. But the harsh recent [Democrat] criticism is intended to be an early step in a long campaign to constrain the court.

Aren't we at the point where the closer we get to chaos, the more concern that there should be about coming to the table and compromising with Democrats? This is not leadership. This is almost like dictatorship.

We have Democrats saying dumb things every single day, and Republicans as well.

Democrats always like to brag that their guys are smarter than the opponents and Republicans always like to brag that their guys are more moral than the opponents. But if you're looking for morals in politics you're looking for bananas in the cheese department.

The weapon which the president has chosen to achieve his end [packing the Supreme Court] is a two-way sort. It may serve the cause of liberty today but tomorrow it could prove just as effective in the hands of a despotic reactionary.

Where trial-court and appeals-court nominees were once routinely confirmed on voice vote, they are now routinely subjected to ideological litmus tests, filibusters, and vicious interest-group attacks.

The American people have made clear that they want justices who have proven records of judicial restraint - exactly the kind of justices that Obama and Biden cannot abide.

From the moment Donald Trump was inaugurated, Washington Democrats have been myopically focused on politically targeting his administration and impeaching him.

You talk about leading Republicans. That's no easy task on just like you were trying to lead Democrats on the other side. We all have independent thoughts and independent ideas.

The Democrats want to destroy the country immediately.

Democrats, for their part, have chosen to go the way of reckless obstruction, pursuing the first partisan impeachment in history.

If Democrats get another Elena Kagan, who has no business being there, if they get another Senorita Sonia Sotomayor, if they get another Stephen Breyer, who may be one of the absolute worst, Ruth "Buzzi" Ginsburg, if they get another one of these, then we don't have a Supreme Court, folks.

The left and Democrats are relying on the decline the American character that left-wing policies have produced.

Americans revere both the Constitution and an independent Court that applies the document's provisions. The Court has done many excellent things in our history, and few people are willing to see its power broken. The difficulty with all proposals to respond to the Court when it behaves unconstitutionally is that they would create a power to destroy the Court's essential work as well.

At the same time, you had Barack Obama as a president. You had Hillary Clinton on track, all the Democrats looking good. And, you know, Donald Trump was just an entertaining buffoon to watch. And, over time, you came to realize that Donald Trump was appealing to a lot of people with his populist message. And, slowly, I think, even as a show, we started shifting in tone as the election started shifting.

I think we’ve been preparing and anticipating for there being these egregious overreaches by members of the judiciary appointed by a right-wing Republican Party, whose goal for a very long time was to just pack these Courts with partisan Judges often under qualified or completely unqualified for their role. And so there has been thought I believe given to this. Senator Ron Wyden has already issued statements, for example, advising what we should do in situations like this, which I concur, which is that I believe that the Biden administration should ignore this ruling.

I think the Right did us a service calling Obama a socialist for eight years. It inoculated us.

I've heard enough of Democrats claiming a balanced approach.

I have not reached a considered position on the question of court-packing. Although I don't think we should be laughing at it.

Donald Trump has shouted 'hoax' hundreds of times, about everything from climate change to Supreme Court rulings to impeachment.

We have to keep this new coalition of Trump voters engaged. And they represent Democrats, more independents, and people who hadn't voted for a long time because they lost their faith in government.

The Democratic Party has become the party of the coastal elite, and the Republican Party is the party of the working class and that average American citizen who's been struggling over the past eight years with Obama in the White House.

You've heard me question whether the partisanship in Washington has made us, as a nation, ungovernable - and, indeed, Democrats are doing their very best to make sure of it.

A lot of Democrats like to play the 'If we were Republicans' game. I usually hate it; I don't want to behave like the Republicans do.

As Democrats, we will never be fooled into believing that if we are patient enough, that Donald Trump could be a good president.