Tom Harkin Quotes

Politics is not about schmoozing, it's about boxing. And you have to enter the arena; you have to come close enough that your face would ready the face of the other guy; and the price is that he can reach your face.

Absolutely. I think that this is - politics is a tough business. I describe it as a full contact sport. You have to be prepared to get in there and mix it up.

Politicians who are not good counter-punchers usually become punching bags.

Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, but no one should be fool enough to let the skunks choose the weapons.

The reason I lost the Governor’s race to Patterson is that I was out niggered. No one is ever going to out nigger me again.

The first rule in politics is never defend, always attack.

If you attack Trump, he's not gonna sit there and take it. He's an alpha male. He's gonna come right back at you and he's gonna keep coming back at you.

I don't think [Donald] Trump was playing rope-a-dope. He probably said, "Look, I've done these. How many debates did we do in the primaries? I know what's happening."

Spin is overrated. It is strategy, not spin, that wins elections.

Was all of Stephen A. Douglas's promotion of 'popular sovereignty' a plausible device for getting him elected president? With his death in June, 1861, any possible answer to that question went to Douglas's grave with him.

Often GOP political strategy seems like the human wave theory of the Chinese military translated to politics. Where Beijing uses masses of soldiers to overwhelm their adversaries, the GOP uses huge campaign budgets as a substitute for strategy, thought or issues.

Don't mess with me, man, I'm a lawyer!

The Democrats do not have their key agenda items do not have massive public support, and their attempts to destroy Donald Trump have failed. All of them. So all they can do now - the only thing they've got - is to split Trump's base away from Trump and that's what all of this today is.

Is it me or is Bush going everywhere Kerry goes? So far in the past week, President Bush has followed John Kerry to Davenport, Iowa; New Mexico; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and he follows him to Portland, Oregon. The only place he never followed John Kerry was Vietnam.

A hint of a frown touched his mouth. “I told you that wasn’t about feeding.” “No, it was about you making your point.” I skewered a bite and chewed. “Next time, maybe use something other than my jugular as your Exhibit A?

There's a certain attitude toward being presidential that is now going away and I think the other thing we're seeing is really a moment where I think Republicans are waking up to the fact that they should have been doing this a lot earlier. They should have been trying to get under Donald Trump's skin a lot earlier.

We are all told to ignore bullies. It's something they teach you, and they can teach you anything. It doesn't mean you learn it. It doesn't mean you believe it. One should never ignore bullies. One should stop them.

George Bush and his gang imagine they are being political geniuses.

You talking to me? You talking to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to - you talking to me? Well, I'm the only one here.

It's a strategic thing to be in permanent campaign mode.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: Yes. Yes. No. One time in high school. Three times in my twenties. Rocks no salt. Yes. Four. Never. And how dare you! I will take no further questions.

Don't push me I've got a corner at my back I've nowhere to go except over you.

[Donald] Trump is most comfortable when he is hammering something.

Tira: Whatever you're thinkin' you're wrong. I only like him like a brother. You ain't got nothin' to worry about. . . . Say listen you. A better dame than you once called me a liar and they had to sew her up in twelve different places. You're lucky I'm a little more refined than I used to be. And if you was as much a lady as I am, you'd get out of here before I get real sore. Alicia: You haven't a streak of decency in you. Tira: I don't show my good points to strangers. I'll trouble you to scram.

I shouldn't want you to be surprised, or to draw any particular inference from my making speeches, or not making speeches, out there. I don't recall any candidate for President that ever injured himself very much by not talking.