Eugene McCarthy

politics football coach smart understand dumb important

"Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

bureaucracy inefficiency efficient ythreat liberty

"The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

mankind difference diversitydemocracy compromise

"As long as the differences and diversities of mankind exist, democracy must allow for compromise, for accommodation, and for the recognition of differences."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

danger concentration TV Radio press media

"There is danger in the concentration of control in the television and radio networks, especially in the large television and radio stations; danger in the concentration of ownership in the press...and danger in the increasing concentration of selection by book publishers and reviewers and by the producers of radio and television programs."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

vote against re reform reorganization back fail

"Vote against anything introduced with a "re" in it, especially reforms, reorganizations, and recodifications. This usually means going back to something that failed once and is likely to do so again."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

declare war national defence

"We don't declare war any more; we declare national defense."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

pig warm nose frozen rosette rump politics

"One thing about a pig, he thinks he's warm if his nose is warm. I saw a bunch of pigs one time that had frozen together in a rosette, each one's nose tucked under the rump of the one in front. We have a lot of pigs in politics."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)

senate primitive society worship elder tribe honor territory

"The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. We still worship the elders of the tribe and honor the territorial imperative."

—Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)