So the danger of conservative judicial activism has been averted for another year. Stay tuned. Michael Kinsley More Quotes by Michael Kinsley More Quotes From Michael Kinsley Americans don't want leadership. They want alchemy. Michael Kinsley alchemywant Among the social sciences, economists are the snobs. Economics, with its numbers and graphs and curves, at least has the coloration and paraphernalia of a hard science. It's not just putting on sandals and trekking out to take notes on some tribe. Michael Kinsley tribescurvesnumbers If hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue, piousness is virtue paying tribute to itself. Michael Kinsley hypocrisyvicespay In any event, the proper question isn't what a journalist thinks is relevant but what his or her audience thinks is relevant. Denying people information they would find useful because you think they shouldn't find it useful is censorship, not journalism. Michael Kinsley eventspeoplethinking A gaffe is a politician inadvertently telling an inconvenient truth. Michael Kinsley inconvenient-truthinconvenientpolitician The solution when you don't like someone's speech is not to silence that person, or that corporation. It's more and louder speech of your own. Michael Kinsley corporationsspeechsilence There is a deadening conformity in the culture of cyberspace in which we don't intend to participate. Michael Kinsley cyberspaceconformityculture One answer is that the towns elected officials thought that the project served a public purpose and that the various subsidies and favors were worth the price. But they may or may not have thought this. Michael Kinsley subsidiesfavorsanswers What could be more absurd than the idea that genuine anti-Christian prejudice is a major force in American politics. Michael Kinsley religiouschristianideas Is there any other democracy where the voters are as spoiled as they are in the United States? Especially, of course, in certain states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, where the old joke is literally true about the citizens who say they haven't yet formed an opinion about a candidate because they've only met the fellow a few times. Michael Kinsley iowaunited-statesdemocracy Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie. Michael Kinsley bigscomplicatedlying Of course, conservatives always claim to be against judicial activism. Michael Kinsley judicialactivismclaims Anything that keeps a politician humble is healthy for democracy. Michael Kinsley healthyhumbleinspirational The definition of a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth. Michael Kinsley definitionspoliticiantelling-the-truth In those days, the late 1970s, one of the leading politicians was a soon-to-be uncle by marriage of Arnold Schwarzenegger, named Ted Kennedy. Michael Kinsley schwarzeneggerunclespolitician The takings clause of the Fifth Amendment is for conservatives what the equal protection clause of the 14th is for liberals. Michael Kinsley fifth-amendmentamendmentsprotection Conservatives and liberals alike have been waiting for this moment for a third of a century. Michael Kinsley centurymomentswaiting If sexual intercourse, as the poets tell us, began in 1963, it was another decade and a half before the American political system began to take notice. Michael Kinsley usapoliticalhalf I have a saying: the scandal isn't what's illegal, the scandal is what's legal. Michael Kinsley illegalscandal The logic is often far-fetched - how does medical marijuana affect interstate commerce? - and some conservatives would like judges to start throwing out federal laws wholesale on commerce clause grounds. The court once again said no thanks. Michael Kinsley marijuanajudginglaw
