#ric

The pride of dying rich raises the loudest laugh in hell. ↗

— John W. Foster

#hell #laugh #loudest #pride #raises

I think I was lucky to come of age in a place and time - the American South in the 1960s and '70s - when the machine hadn't completely taken over life. The natural world was still the world, and machines - TV, telephone, cars - were still more or less ancillary, and computers were unheard of in everyday life. ↗

— Ben Fountain

#american #cars #come #completely #computers

Hollywood has a history of raising expectations beyond Washington's reach, of appealing to the very American desire to mythologize political leaders, particularly the president. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#appealing #beyond #desire #expectations #history

Barack Obama may have found the answer to his biggest rhetorical challenge: When millions of voters are unemployed or underemployed, how does a president simultaneously sound realistic and optimistic? ↗

— Ron Fournier

#barack #barack obama #biggest #challenge #does

Blending hard-bitten realism with long-view optimism, Obama said that every 20 or 30 years brings a new cycle of pessimism in America. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#blending #brings #cycle #every #new

It's a deft trick to turn American exceptionalism into an exceptional political tactic. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#exceptional #into #political #tactic #trick

It's an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God when they're not pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#appeal #bootstraps #country #extraordinary #freedom-loving

One side of the American psyche wants smaller government, lower taxes, and more choices for individuals, even if those choices increase risk. The other wants a strong social safety net to protect the weakest among us, even if it costs more to minimize risk. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#among #choices #costs #even #government

Political consultants are pugilists, masters in the dark art of negativity. Which is why it's surprising to hear Democrats such as Steve McMahon and Republicans like Rich Galen urging their presidential candidates to be more, well, positive. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#candidates #consultants #dark #democrats #hear

We, the people. Manifest Destiny. Conceived in liberty. Fear itself. Ask not. Morning in America. United we stand. Yes, we can. In times of great change and tumult, presidents seek to inspire beleaguered Americans by reminding them of their national identity. ↗

— Ron Fournier

#ask #change #conceived #destiny #fear