Lawrence O'Donnell Quotes

I think it is very possible he [Donald Trump] could be nominated and depending on how this all plays out, I would take him seriously in terms of being able to win because he's appealing to a very, very - he's appealing to fear.

The most successful politicians are the ones who embrace their best traits while turning their liabilities into loveable attributes. And yet, many a candidate tries to run as something they aren't simply because the strategy dictates it.

I think that people have realized it's very unwise to bet against Donald Trump.

The problem with us EU politicians is that we approach everything with cool rationality, and then wonder why we don't win people over emotionally.

The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. Political experts say that if Obama keeps insulting Palin, he could lose the election and win a job at MSNBC.

[Donald Trump] has a pretty sizable electoral map win, much more than anybody thought.

The Democrats are all over this. Democratic strategists feel John Kerry's war record means he can beat Bush. They say when it comes down to it voters will always vote for a war hero over someone who tried to get out of the war. I'll be sure to mention that to Bob Dole when I see him.

Remember, Bernie [Sanders] was the guy. He was the one guy that could win this, and head-to-head he could go against [Donald] Trump and win.

I think if Donald Trump skipped out on a debate, for whatever reason he gave, I don't think it would help him at all.

Tainting the Tea Party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There's no evidence that Tea Party adherence are any more racist than other Republicans and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats in November, having one's opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness.

The key to winning any general election in the USA is to excite your base and then expand your base - get independent voters and voters who haven't been voting for your party to come to your party.

Hillary Clinton doesn't know how to counterprogram Trump, if you will. Hillary doesn't know how to go out and write her own narrative of the day. Hillary doesn't know whether to focus on herself or to criticize Trump or to go after Crazy Bernie. She doesn't know what to do. And the press doesn't, either.

Donald Trump has defied practically every playbook or blue book technique in dispatching an opponent.

If [Donald] Trump wins narrowly, Democrats can blame the loss on FBI director James Comey, who inserted himself late in the campaign in an unprecedented way.

Hillary Clinton doesn't know how to win.

I'm different than Republican candidates, than other Republican candidates. I've got states that we can win that other Republican candidates wouldn't even stop over for dinner.

If you want to beat Donald Trump, you know, one of the clearest indications of who can beat Trump is Donald spends every waking moment attacking me. He doesn't attack any other candidates, because his campaign views us as the only real threat to him.

They have to put Trump on every program, spewing his crazy ideas, because his poll numbers are so high. And his poll numbers are so high because they put him on every program, spewing his crazy ideas.

People are taking a closer look at Donald Trump. I think the best look they got was at the last debate. I think Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio prosecuted their case effectively. Donald doesn't have some great answers. When they talk, for instance, about immigration and releasing those tapes from The New York Times, we began talking about flexibility and immigration.

How come regional pandering only works in one direction, right? You never see a Southern politician trying to win votes in New York State by saying, 'I read books and make a mean vegan meatloaf.'

My preference is that we beat him [Donald Trump] outright in the primary process. And I believe that's exactly what's going to happen here in the next few weeks, especially as we move to winner-take-all states. The terrain begins to change.

So my concern is that - what the campaign has to do is to pull those folks [negative to Donald Trump] out and make sure that they actually get to the ballot.

I did love that scene in the movie [ "Our Brand Is Crisis"] because it's like "The Wizard of Oz." You see the backstage action of politics. You have access to see behind the curtain. You see how it's all one big advertisement.

Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody.

Isn't it just heart-stopping and mind-numbing when you stop and realize that the Republican Party doesn't want to win?