Democratic Party United States Politicians

"I am firmly convinced that the conduct of the Irish in America has been strongly influential in winning for those at home that moral support which comes from the sympathy of strangers to the blood, and which is in itself almost as valuable as the material assistance which has been so lavishly bestowed."

"Our Nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal."

"I do not care what other nations might do or may have done. I do not take advice from them. The higher mission of our Republic should beget higher resolves, and weak or great, we should apply the same rules to all."

"The extraordinary measure of self-government granted to the colonists by the charter fostered in them a spirit of loyalty toward the mother country, substantially and energetically manifested on every occasion; but which, nevertheless, when the danger from the foreign foe was no longer imminent, was supplanted by a feeling of jealous apprehension of the encroachments on that the colonists had now learned to regard as their natural rights. Rhode Island heartily joined the other colonies in making the Revolution her cause."

"The surface of the state generally is broken and diversified, the mountain slopes being densely covered with forest growths, principally of spruce and other evergreen trees. The scenery is everywhere attractive, and in many districts very beautiful."

"The teachers in West Virginia, LA, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, and more are saying something radical with their actions. They are saying that every single child of this nation is worthy. The poor kids. The immigrant kids. The special needs kids. The holler kids. They all deserve a safe place, with dedicated professionals. A place to thrive. A place to explore. A place to be treated as the human beings they are, rather than a problem to be dealt with or another faceless name on an overstuffed roster. Underfunding, privatizing, demonizing teachers, these are all tactics used to destroy a public education system that helped to build the middle class. I often say that the elites of this nation better take care, because if we get to a place in this country where there’s only the dirt poor and the filthy rich, the dirt poor will eat the filthy rich. The teachers strikes are a warning shot. Don’t make us go West Virginia on you."

"This is not more complicated than the fact that Trump wants a giant island with his name on it. He wouldn’t think twice about putting our troops in danger if it makes him feel big and strong. The US military is not a toy."

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You'll never know, dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away."

"A song is the most intangible thing in the world. It's not what I like, it's what people like. Songs should be inspirational and have meaning."

"... he wasn't going to look into whether the signature was a forgery, and I'm concerned about that, because this is the president ... If there are forgeries or forgers out there, I think we should investigate it ... Someone 22 years ago went back to the future and forged his signature when he was a Democrat ... knew he would become a Republican, become president 22 years later ... We can solve this problem for the American people ... Let's bring in a signature expert ... I just think that, rather than this drag out for weeks or months. Is it his? Is it not his? Does he like to draw? Doesn't he like to draw? Right? Like, let's just get an expert in here to tell us."

"To my Republican colleagues... in the spirit of John McCain we need to start pushing back where we don't agree on how force is being used."

"Trump is following the same playbook as almost every authoritarian in history. ...Once in office, surround yourself with people loyal to you. Accumulate power and influence, and... start using it against your perceived enemies."

"There is more than one way to destroy an election... to lose our democracy. We're in danger of that..."

"Congress needs to reclaim our power... over the use of force."

"The videos out of Chicago are shocking! Federal agents pulling their weapons on highways... injuring and... killing civilians. Many are masked, not wearing uniforms and driving unmarked cars."

"There comes a time in every authoritarian playbook... a tipping point. You accumulate so much power that you realize that if you ever lose... your opponent... can use that very power against you. So you hold on to it with everything you have."

"Leadership is about the actions you take, not the things you say behind closed doors."

"[T]he president quietly put out an directing the Department of Justice to create a list of "domestic terror organizations." ...[G]roups that are accused of anti-Americanism, , anti-Christianity, or hostility toward those who hold "traditional American views on family, religion or morality. ...{T]hese groups don't have to be violent to get ...on the list. The order suggested that DOJ could look at chat groups, in-person meetings, social media and even s."

"What gives me hope is that I go home every weekend, and the vast majority of Michiganders live in that 80% middle that don't scream on the internet, that don't, you know, want to hurt their neighbors when they happen to disagree. They just want team normal."

"There's plenty of time for us to figure out what happened and what the motive was for this man, but it just - it doesn't matter at this point. These people are victims and they're survivors and this community is going to have a long road back to healing."

"The Trump administration notified Congress that we... are in armed conflict with a number of cartels... "designated terrorist organizations." ...But here's what's different about the strikes and what's precedent setting. The president and secretary Hegseth are refusing to tell the American people... the names, and they won't tell us why they're being targeted."

"Trump's full reorientation towards the "enemy within" ...has major implications for his use of force..."

"Turning the federal government against Trump's enemies goes hand in hand with his use of force in American cities, both federal law enforcement and the military. ...[T]he administration ordered the creation of two new National Guard units, a standing quick reaction force that can deploy anywhere in the country, and... separately, National Guard units in all 50 states focused on quelling so-called civil disturbances."

"The president has... deployed ICE and other federal law enforcement to these same cities... In some cases... federal officers are playing fast and loose with their tactics, which... could lead to a deadly escalation."

"For those of us who served abroad, it feels like another country. ...[W]e're about two weeks away from a bloody incident that spirals out of control, and this is just the kind of incident that Trump wants, to justify more force coming in."

"If the president is going to fundamentally redefine the use of force in America... I believe Trump is reshaping the country to hold on to power."

"The Caribbean strikes, the list of domestic terrorists, military and law enforcements across our American streets. He seems to be laying the groundwork to stay in power."

"There are two ways... both out of the same authoritarian playbook. ...Trump finds a pretext, invokes the Insurrection Act and tries to impose . Elections therefore could be cancelled, or if they happen, he could surround polling places with military and federal law enforcement to intimidate voters. The second option... could... swing an election. Labeling opposition groups, candidates and elected officials as terrorists or criminals and going after the infrastructure that allows for competitive elections."

"I am not an alarmist. ...April of 2020 ...the first time Trump started tweeting about election fraud ...that if he lose, it could only be because of fraud. ...January 6, 2021, as rioters attacked the capitol I barricaded myself... and looked for something I could use as a weapon. The thing I thought was unthinkable was happening."

"Trump hasn't planned for... the will of the American people. Americans have an internal barometer for things that sound and smell authoritarian. ...[I]n Michigan ...even ardent Trump supporters don't like what they're seeing ...That should give us hope."

"A few weeks ago the Senate Armed Services Committee, the committee I sit on... both sides of the aisle asked the Defense Department for the name and number of the organizations that the United States is currently at war with. They refused to provide it. We asked for a copy of the memo from the Justice Department that lays out the legal case for these strikes. They refused to provide it."

"Trump plans to see how far he can stretch the law before someone tells him no, and if the administration won't publicly name s in the , you can bet that they're not going to tell you the name of this new list of domestic terror organizations. Only this time... it will be on American streets, and in American homes."

"Kamala Harris had a very short time to formulate her campaign. ...Donald Trump, whether you believe him or not, prioritized the talking point of cost of living and the economy. Democrats have policy plans... about good things... I still think we have good ideas. But when you prioritize everything, you actually prioritize nothing."

"[W]e need to get back to... fundamentals. The middle class is... essential... We need to grow and expand it. ...[W]e need to focus on... economic security... national security, and... democracy."

"In 2008, 2009, 2010, our recession was pretty close to a depression in Michigan. ...I'm not gonna stand silent while he threatens that in my state."

"I come from a world of war planning... of constant, prudent planning.... where you can't just play defense only. There's no such thing as winning, in any operation or in any war, by just playing defense. What we owe the country is a strategy that does more than play defense."

"There’s a lot of leaders in the Democratic Party. I liken it to a solar system. We have stars, and we have planets with their own gravitational pull, but we don’t have a sun that we all center around."

"I would push and prod for... [a] unified approach... I was going to take my best stab at it... We have lots of ideas, lots of different voices, and so in order to keep that coalition together, people have treated each other very carefully and run party offices and the party apparatus by consensus."

"The smell of that - the burning buildings and that very sort of toxic chemically smell that was just hanging over New York for weeks, if not months, and it completely changed my life."

"It was not just the shooting. It was the fire, and the community is just trying to understand what happened. It is a testament to law enforcement."

"They were decent to each other. We were all on the same team, and I'm so glad that I got to be there in that moment to see that. And I'm so concerned with how far we feel from that moment."

"I really believe that the existential threat to the country is not coming from abroad. It's the shrinking middle-class at home and what that does to our stability here."

"Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to recovery, and then we have to understand we've clearly got mental health issues."

"I think we need to just grapple with the fact that we have people all over the country who are using violence as a way to convey how they feel, whether they're going through mental hardship or they've got an agenda, and it is just a real - just we have to grapple with it as a country."

"Trump is ready to bring the whole weight of the federal government against Americans he perceives as enemies. Why? Because he has one goal. Making sure that he and his ilk never have to give up power. ...I think between the strikes in the Caribbean, his efforts to identify domestic terrorists, and his deployment of force in American cities, that seems to be where we're headed."

"Trump has laid out a whole lot of enemies that are American citizens."

"This is... fundamentally un-American and strikes at the heart of who we are as a people..."

"Trump has created at least two "s"... to go after Trumps's perceived enemies. As a CIA officer, the idea that s could be asked to target Americans turns my stomach, and it would shift us into a modern day surveillance state."

"Trump has been very clear about his intent. At Quantico... he instructed his military brass to use cities as "training grounds" and many times he's floated the idea of using the Insurrection Act so that military units can raid, detain and arrest ."

"In the Senate, we don’t... divide into progressive versus moderate... behind closed doors. The real debate... is: Do you believe that Trump’s second term is an existential threat to American democracy, or... like his first term, survivable if we... wait... and let his bad policies boomerang on him? ...[S]ome ...have been around and seen so many things ...in Washington that their approach... is just: wait. I do not fall in that camp. It’s not just about age. It’s approach. ...It is not like being in leadership means you’re automatically old guard and need to be booted out. But... leaders in the party are feeling upward pressure... [T]hat’s a good thing."