Lawrence O'Donnell Quotations

We recognize how important this kind of question is to viewers of the show. It is very, very, very important to us. But it is a secondary issue and we are not past the primary issue yet.

But it cuts both ways. Ross Perot was the spoiler, and you didn't hear anyone complaining about that.

The rise of Donald Trump is explained not so much by the hatred of Muslims, but rather the hatred of just one Muslim. The one who is not a Muslim.

This year [2015] has shown with painful clarity that our existing systems, approaches, and funding, are inadequate to the task at hand, and to the amount of human suffering that is ongoing.

I agree that we have to have the toughest screening and vetting that we can have, but I don`t think a halt is necessary. What we have to do is put all of our resources through the Department of Homeland Security, through the State Department, through our intelligence agencies, and we have to have an increased vetting and screening .

Safety concerns are reasonable. Banning refugees is certainly not.

My pick for Best Political Move of the Year, which is the decisive (ph) and this means it is actually the best political movement is Bill Clinton getting on the phone and encouraging Donald Trump to run for the president.

When you look at that debate stage, Mitt Romney could have dominated it maybe.

My Worst Political Move of the 2015 Year. John Boehner inviting Benjamin Netanyahu to address the joint session of Congress.

Trying to turn the Congress the President on the Iran deal, - it`s one thing to do that - it`s a giant moment in Israeli politics to decide to do that.

The [Donald] Trump plan would increase the national debt a little over a $1 trillion a year, the Trump plan would reduce taxes at all income levels with, of course, the biggest tax cuts going to the richest taxpayers as they always do.

According to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center, Donald Trump`s tax plan is going to increase the national debt by more than 50 percent over ten years.

What I do respect is that Donald Trump knows that it is an emotional appeal and it might be emotional appeals that I don`t - can`t expect.But he knows that you have to appeal to the voter, and that`s why I may be wrong. I made a big deal about there`s no way he`s going to win.

I think most Republicans would rather win this election than have transformation.

You have two people who I would classify as extremists. Donald Trump because of his behavior and Ted Cruz because of his views, leading the Republican Party.

That seems to be a woman who is genuinely depressed that this is the political dialogue she [Hillary Clinton] is been thrown into in the 21st century in running for president of the United States.

Probably about 35 percent of Donald Trump`s supporters do not believe that President [Barack] Obama is Muslim or that he was not born in the United States.Those Trump supporters are not white supremacists. But if Trump did not have the support of Obama haters who believe that the President is a Muslim, who believe that he was not born in the United States, Donald Trump would lose two-thirds of his support.

Forty four percent of Republican voters believe President [Barack] Obama was not born in the United States. They believe he is not a legal citizen of the United States.They believe his presidency is unconstitutional.

Donald Trump has been getting favorable comments from white supremacists, from American Nazis. And any explanation of Donald Trump`s rise that does not include those facts is a false analysis.

Sixty one percent of Donald Trump`s supporters believe that President [Barack] Obama was not born in the United States.They believe Donald Trump`s lie about where President Obama was born, the lie he started telling four years ago and has since replaced with other hate-driven lies like the thousands of Muslims Donald Trump lies about having seen celebrating in New Jersey on 9/11.

Donald Trump would not lose a single voter over any report indicating that his tax plan might not work.

Actually, Congress just did pass a tax plan like Donald Trump`s.They passed a tax plan which some Democrats voted for, significant number of Democrats which gave huge tax breaks to wealthy people and corporations.

The Democrats - Democrats on board, the Congress said tax policy.But their tax policy was pretty bad, that added $800 billion to the deficit.

My biggest surprise of the year does involve Donald Trump and it involves his money. And I am one of the prominent disbelievers of his claims of wealth and how rich he was. He put out a press release before he did his financial disclosure form saying he made over $200 million from a TV show.If you know about the economics of televisions, that sounds impossible. I don`t believe it.

According to the international organization for migration, more than 1 million migrants have arrived in Europe this year, the most since World War II. Half of them were Syrian.

Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

I said, we should allow no Syrian refugees into the country, not even women or children.

I will never forget the day in Washington when I met John Lewis by phone when he called me to ask about something. And the phone just shook in my hand. I couldn`t believe that John Lewis was on the other end of the line.

Do away with the corporate loopholes that allow major profitable corporations to stash their money in the Cayman Islands and not pay a nickel in some cases in federal income taxes.

We`re going to raise the estate tax for wealthy, very wealthy people.

I believe the United States should join the rest of the world through paid family and medical leave. It would cost us a $1.61 a week in an increase in payroll tax.I think that`s a great investment.

It is lunacy to be bringing refugees into this country who may be terrorists trying to murder Americans.

It is highly likely that one of the two of them [ Donald Trump and Ted Cruz ] is going to be the nominee. This is a - look here, what is this - what this is really is a prescription for remaking the Republican Party.

Donald Trump did his usual softball interview on "Fox News" where the interviewer agreed with Trump that using that Yiddish vulgarity is going to be OK for him.

The screening in the United States is the toughest screening of any country in the world in terms of refugees, that accepts refugees. And of course there are those that don`t accept any, or ever have, no matter what kind they are.

Fifty four percent of Republican voters believe President [Barack] Obama is Muslim. And 66 percent of Trump voters believe President Obama is Muslim. If you hear anyone trying to explain the rise of Donald Trump without including that fact, then you`re hearing someone who doesn`t know what they`re talking about.

While alcohol ... continues to wreak havoc in America, supported by a $6 billion-a-year alcohol industry advertising campaign extolling the joy of inebriation, the far less harmful drug of marijuana remains illegal and continues to ruin people's lives - only if they are caught possessing and convicted of that crime.

The truth is that people - many people are concerned about this, but this is not the first time in America this has happened. There were a significant number of people who didn`t want Jewish refugees before World War II, or even during World War II.

The Republican Party is saying that the President of the United States has bosses, that the union bosses this President around, the unions boss him around. Does that sound to you like they are trying to consciously or subconsciously deliver the racist message that, of course, of course a black man can't be the real boss?

Look, [Mitt] Romney comes from a religion founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and a rapist. And he comes from that lineage and says, 'I respect this religion fully.'

Go head Taggert. Take your best shot.