Jim Hightower Quotes

I believe in capitalism for everybody, not necessarily high finance but capitalism that works for the working men and women of this country who are out there paddling alone in America right now.

… a near revolutionary change in the democratic process

Activists set the agenda for the practitioners.

Rock the Vote

The future of Labor is the future of America.

I was deep into it - worldwide liberation politics as well as domestic - but by the end of the '80s, I had decided it all comes down to one single issue: campaign-finance elimination.

I'm a pro forma Bernie Sanders donor. In years past, when Michael Harrington was still alive, I was a very active member of Democratic Socialists of America.

I think voting is the lowest form of political action that you can do. A lot of times, it keeps people from doing stronger things.

I absolutely believe that we're the workers' party. We are the party that has always been at the forefront of the big social changes that have promoted women and working people.

We on the Left are very good at criticizing people, but we need to build the base to pull people to the Left.

It is my preference that the Democratic Party leads us forward in a way that is about standing up to special interests, in a way that advances campaign finance reform, in a way that fights for meaningful prescription drug reform.

Are people who want this kind of progressive change not turning up at polling stations? Are they not voting for progressive representatives? It's hard to put your finger on why we are where we are.

I think my experience at the University of Chicago, working in the civil rights movement, working in the peace movement, working with community organizations, did a lot to influence the politics that I have.

Regulate the banks, get money out of elections; raise the minimum wage, environmental issues. They're all very important and the Occupy movement made a difference. It shifted not only the discourse but to some extent, action on these issues.

As Bernie Sanders said himself, it's a movement, not a man. And that movement continues to move into our campaign.

I brought attention to the fact that people need to be more involved in politics and not just let the establishment continue to control politics.

I thought my parents were always having card parties - and they were - but they were actually also having meetings to organize people. My older sister would be part of youth organizing, and she'd have dance parties. People would be dancing and talking about how to improve their neighborhood.

It's not enough just to elect people of color and women of color and progressives. We need to make sure that they have a work plan and that they are - continue to align with the communities that helped get them to where they're at.

Getting political representation is important, but change comes through using direct action, campaigning, and trade unions.

I've been a pain in the rear for the Republican Party, and if I were to continue to be involved in the Democratic Party, I will continue to be a pain in the rear on campaign finance, health care, the environment. I'm not interested in party loyalty issues.

I thought I could make change by just working at ground level, but to change a community, you have to change policies.

I have gone from a proponent of campaign finance reform to a revolutionary during my time in public service.

The only way change happens is when people become more significantly involved in the political process.

Once I learned about grassroots organizing, I got so enamored with it because I thought 'Wow this is the way you do it!'

Politicians would only move beyond gestures once there was a critical mass of informed citizens.