Jan Schakowsky Quotes

Cindy Sheehan is a clown. There is no real antiwar movement. No serious politician, with anything to do with anything, would show his face at an antiwar rally.

During the Vietnam War, which lasted longer than any war we've ever been in - and which we lost - every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.

And we broadcast tapes sent to us from Americans against the war. These were most effective I believe.

We need each and every one of you to commit to vote for Barack Obama today!

I think you have to ask yourself does voting work on the level that you are trying to effectuate change; that is the conversation you must have.

I've been interested in American politics since I was eight. That was in 1968. It was an interesting year. I was a huge Eugene McCarthy supporter, so I guess he was the first senator I really knew about and cared about.

I'm a lad of the '60s. I started a magazine to try and end the Vietnam war, but it was a number of years before I had the profile, the financial resources and the time to do more.

I've been proud to be the chair of the Stop the War coalition, proud to be associated with the Stop the War coalition.

I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.

I tell people I won't vote to go to war unless I'm ready to go or send my kids.

People are even more wary of politicians and they are realizing that democracy isn't just about putting a cross on a ballot every four years, it's about deciding what you want and fighting for it.

We don't go to war on narrow, partisan votes.

I was so opposed to the war in Vietnam that I initially refused President Nixon's urgings for me to go there.

Pretty much all I say politically is I encourage people to register to vote.

I was arrested in 1965 for opposing the war in Vietnam. There were 39 of us arrested that day. But thousands opposed us. And the majority of the people in the country supported the war then.

When I turned 18, was the first time that I really started concentrating on politics. And I started doing so because I realized that in order to really create and generate change, it has to come from changing laws... so I started campaigning for Norman Lear's foundation, which was Declare Yourself.

CNN has given me a platform to share my experiences. My Web site, YouTube Channel and Facebook page have exposed me to thousands of voters who share my concerns. My lack of seniority has not impeded my ability to communicate in any way.

I left the Democratic Party basically on issues of national security during the end of the Vietnam War.

I love my country but I cannot vote for war.

I hold the opinion that it is lawful [for a Muslim] to participate in elections [in non-Islamic countries], as this may reduce suffering, and it is a way to choose the better among the available candidates. I believe participating in elections will, in any event, contribute to the reduction of evil and be a forum for countering bad policies and exposing their deficiencies, as well as being an opportunity to present proposals of a different kind that may help people.

I started in politics by opposing the war in Vietnam.... I don't think it was right, and I think it has seriously undermined the position of America in the world. It has weakened the social and political fabric of our country. And it is going to take heroic efforts to rebuild America because of it.

A voting record is your work product. It tells people where you stand on issues, and for better or worse it implies you're there doing what you're elected to do. It's the only litmus test available.

I don’t attend rallies and I don’t participate in presidential elections. In fact, I don’t participate in any election. I don’t participate in the governor’s race, I don’t participate in the mayor’s race. I participate in one election every two years. Then I’m strong for Hebert. That is the only election I take part in.

As Suffragettes we could not be pacifists at any price.

We have a threefold primary responsibility. Number 1: Get people saved. Number 2: Get them baptized. Number 3: Get them registered to vote.