Rebuke Quotes
When politicians and appointees deviate from this principle, they end up with a much more difficult management problem. One of the complaints of elected politicians often is that the executive is not exercising accountability, but if it is exercised publicly, the morale effect is devastating.
The Parliament was paralyzed by the issue of wartime leadership when PM Neville Chamberlain failed so miserably in standing up to the Germans at Munich. The speech urging the termination of the Prime Minister’s government reminded all of the famous speech whereby Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell dismissed Parliament in 1655 (see related quote). In this case Amery had no power, but much influence as the Government fell a few days later and Winston Churchill assumed British leadership.
The Congress was debating President Johnson’s Voting Rights Bill. Southern Democrats and Conservative Republicans were opposed to legislation that would prevent states from discriminating against Black and other minority voters. Johnson needed the support of minority leader Dirksen and the moderate Republicans. Dirksen was at the White House discussing the strategy for the passage of the bill. This quotation illustrates the “partisanship of the day” where opponents were quite friendly even when they were “denouncing” each other, The venom and personal disrespect and hatred of the beginning of the 21st century was absent in the 1960s even though the most radical and controversial legislation was being debated. The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Non Discrimination in Housing and Medicare were all passed that year with filibusters and cloture votes. Yet there was always comity.
When reporter May Craig asked him what he had done lately for women, JFK replied:
