While writing books about the past, I think about the present. It's not intentional, but somehow my books end up being written under the sign of a political mood. Rick Perlstein More Quotes by Rick Perlstein More Quotes From Rick Perlstein Ive summarized dozens of books in my literary career; its become rather second nature. Rick Perlstein dozen careers book Imagine a senator running for president whose positions included halving the military budget, socializing the medical system, re-regulating the communications and electrical industries, establishing a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans, and equalizing funding for all schools regardless of property valuations - and who promised to fire Alan Greenspan, counseled withdrawal from the World Trade Organization, and, for good measure, spoke warmly of adolescent sexual experimentation. That was Barry Goldwater, conservative. Rick Perlstein communication military running In politics, if you're explaining, you're loosing. Rick Perlstein explaining ifs It takes two things to make a political lie work: a powerful person or institution willing to utter it, and another set of powerful institutions to amplify it. Rick Perlstein powerful two lying Only liberals know how to make you freer on the job, which is where most of us suffer the gravest indignities in our lives. Rick Perlstein suffering knows jobs In American religious history, theological qualms tend to get pushed aside when politics intervenes. Rick Perlstein theological qualms-about religious I cant summarize my favorite movie, Jacques Tatis Play Time. You just have to see it. Rick Perlstein play-time my-favorite play No historical analogies are exactly precise. Rick Perlstein precise analogies historical In Ronald Reagans case, he always bore with him this extraordinary ability to radiate confidence, optimism, clarity, a blitheness of spirit, in what other people saw as chaos. And after the 1970s, that was catnip. Rick Perlstein optimism saws people It is a lesson of the sixties: liberals get in the biggest political trouble - whether instituting open housing, civilian compliant review boards, or sex education programs - when they presume that a reform is an inevitable comcomitant of progress. It is then they are most likely to establish their reforms by top-down bureaucratic means. A blindsiding backlash often ensues. Rick Perlstein top-down mean sex When legitimately constituted state authority stands down in the face of armed threats, the very foundation of the republic is in danger. Rick Perlstein republic foundation faces One of the most important things liberals don't understand about conservatism, obscured by too much lazy talk about conservatism's various 'wings,' is that its tenets form a relatively organic base for its adherents, where 'traditional morality' serves the interests of laissez-faire economics and vice-versa. Rick Perlstein understand economics important wings Chicago's privatization mania began during Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration, which ran from 1989 to 2011. Under his successor, Rahm Emanuel, the trend has continued apace. For Rahm's investment banker buddies, the trend has been a boon. For citizens? Not so much. Rick Perlstein buddies trend investment chicago Richard M. Nixon honestly believed in his bones that an organized conspiracy of liberal media insiders had literally been plotting against him ever since he broke Alger Hiss in 1948 (he never shifted course, and lost his soul). Rick Perlstein never media soul lost Liberals tend to stress how marvelous education is, in and of itself, and also adore it as a vessel for genuine equality. (That's me, by the way: Hell, I think we should be spending $50 billion a year to make college education free). Rick Perlstein me equality stress education Fight injustice, that our children might be blessed. Rick Perlstein fight injustice blessed children I'm just a Bolshevik with a laptop. Rick Perlstein bolshevik laptop just While Obama might not push college education exclusively, like most Democrats he does oversell it and does shortchange the alternatives. And millions of young Americans pay the price. Rick Perlstein price push college education Back when I was 16, when I should have been doing normal high school things, I availed myself of my brand new driver's license to spend as much time as possible in Milwaukee's Renaissance Book Shop, a tumbledown five-story warehouse that the city was finally able to close down in 2011 for safety reasons. It was my teenage paradise. Rick Perlstein city myself time school Whatever you think about his intelligence, what's unquestionable is that Reagan had extraordinary emotional intelligence. He could sense the temperature of a room, and tell them a story and make them feel good. And that's more fun, right? It's more fun to feel good than feel bad. That's part of our human state. Rick Perlstein feel good you intelligence
