Donna Brazile Quotations

My mama told me it's not what they call you - it's what you answer to.

I was motivated to be different in part because I was different.

Civic education and civic responsibility should be taught in elementary school.

Failure. It doesn't exist. 'Failure' is just what happens when we lose perspective.

Every member of my family was displaced by Katrina.

I think people involved in politics make good actors. Acting and politics both involve fooling people. People like being fooled by actors. When you get right down to it, they probably like being fooled by politicians even more. A skillful actor will make you think, but a skillful politician will make you never have to think.

Look, Congress has allocated more money to finance the upcoming Iraqi elections than it has for the American elections. There's something wrong with that.

Politics is a rough and tumble business. It's not for the faint-hearted. I've got bruises and cuts from being in the political arena. But by and large, I understand how to navigate the process.

Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor. And perhaps they should understand the role of a community organizer is to help people in distress.

I have a simple rule: when I'm on TV, I'm not talking to just my anchor or my colleague on my right. I'm talking to America. I look into the lens, and in my head, I'm talking to somebody in Nebraska. Why Nebraska? Why the Cornhusker State? I have no idea. But it feels like it's a good place to talk to people.

If I could have gotten my way at an early age, I would have entered the priesthood, but my mother informed me that I could not become a priest because I was a girl. It really was the biggest blow to my ego, because it was my calling. When she told me I'd have to be a nun, I looked at her and said, 'I'm not following anyone.'

A campaign is about defining who you are - your vision and your opponent's vision.

Since Bush has been in office, African-American women have fallen behind in terms of income and wages.

Fear is one of the worst, and most limiting, emotions in life.

I've appeared three times on 'The Good Wife.' I'm proud of being associated with the show. 'Time' magazine called it 'the best thing on TV outside cable.' Did I mention that I also appear on cable?

Because of my faith and my imagination, I was able to enjoy my childhood, even though it was tough.

If you rely on the media for your information, to educate yourself about the candidates and what issues are facing the country, then you get just part of the equation. I think it's important that we as citizens of this democracy take the responsibility to get as much information as possible before we go into the voting booth.

I am ashamed of some of Democrats in my own party.

I thought acknowledging praise meant you were arrogant, but I've learned that knowing your strengths enables you to make use of them.

If a critic doesn't think I can act, it's because I'm not acting. That's me - and that's the way I act.

If you're not out front defining your vision, your opponent will spend gobs of money to define it for you.

On every show that I have been on, I have played myself.

People don't trust government, they don't trust Wall Street, they don't trust the church, they don't trust the media.

The 2000 election exposed some ugly history in our country.

TV likes you to talk about the superficial.

There is no place in our democracy for faulty voting equipment, long lines at the polls, untrained poll workers and any forms of chads,

Watching 'Scandal' is a fun and exciting guilty pleasure, which is how I imagine most real scandals start out.

The process continues to be wide open. But ultimately I think we will make some changes. We don't know yet exactly how those changes will be done.

Let's look at fairness. We want to follow Iowa and New Hampshire's grassroots and its citizen participation.

I grew up within New Orleans; my greatest concern is rising water. But I think life is a process of moving items from the 'scared of' to the 'not scared of' list.

I am a good fan of Al Gore, but I am also equally supportive of other candidates out there,

I believe we have the best ground troops in America knocking on doors, getting on phones for Gore.

I don't think anyone is voting to take them off the table. But what we're saying is it's time to give other states a chance.

What I'm looking for tonight is the results here in Georgia. Can Edwards have a comeback here? Can he win the Minnesota caucuses? Can he keep it close in New York and Ohio? And barring a miracle, I mean a real miracle, John Kerry will be within a stone's throw of winning the nomination.

It brings back home the notion that there is a difference with the two parties.

I think it's important in a democracy such as ours that we have multiple sources to get news and information and utilize the media only if we want to get a different opinion.

Our mission is simple: To reduce any impediment and to make sure their voices are heard.

It is far better to have a candidate who is loose and not affiliated.

I'm not about waiting anymore. I'm off the privilege notion now; I'm on to fairness.

I'm not about waiting anymore. All the states, especially the states that have been ignored, all the constituencies and communities that have been ignored, have a part in this process.

understand and report back on what happened and why.

We are not post-racial. And in many ways we don't even know how to have a conversation about being post-racial. Until we get out of that old-school way of thinking about race and opportunity and the ability to transcend some of the past of this country, then we're going to be stuck in the 20th-century conversation about race.

No one is demonizing or even saying anything as intemperate as Donald Trump has said about blacks living in squalor conditions.

I think they [Hillary and Bill Clinton] have been - they have shown over and over again that they're willing to be transparent and that they have gone beyond the letter of the law, to show that they're trying to make sure there are bright red, green, purple lines that will separate them from any type of conflict.

I'm a reporter. I've been a big supporter of The Clinton Foundation. Back in 2001 and 2002, people forget that Bill Clinton went to Harlem and set this foundation up. They've helped millions of people across the globe and here in America.

I can tell you about Hillary Clinton's heart. This is a woman, who, after law school, went down to my native South. She went down, after graduating from Yale Law School, to help poor kids, to help disabled kids.

Donald Trump has not gone to historical black colleges - Hillary Clinton. He's not met with the mothers of children who have been slain and killed from violence in the country as Hillary Clinton has done.

I'm not here to talk about bigotry in the sense that I don't know what's in Donald Trump's heart. I hope that it's a heart of compassion.

Shirley Chisholm is another one [political hero]. She was a dynamic speaker, and the first black woman to run for President.

Barbara Jordan is one [of the political heroes]. Her 1976 speech in New York inspired me to get into politics.

It's almost like a renaissance of racism we have.

Hillary Clinton is talking to all Americans. She's talking about jobs, she's talking about how to make this country stronger in terms of our national security. She's talking about opportunity for our young people.

We have taken appropriate steps to ensure that we have the safest possible system. We're working with federal officials.

We know from the company we hired, Kraus Stripe , that there was Russian involvement in this to destabilize not just our institution, the Democratic Party, but our democracy itself.

We are victims of - the DNC and other institutions are victims of a cybercrime led by thugs.

People are human beings.If you are nice to me, than I am nice to you. I live by my mother's advice, which is that the Golden Rule is the way to go.

There is a place in America for diversity of views and opinions. I may cook my gumbo differently from you, but that does not make mine better. I may just use different ingredients. Politics has gotten so spicy, and we need to cool it down some. We may find that your recipe for gumbo is just as good.

The nomination of John McCain is another milestone. So whether black, women, or bald, yes we can.

It has been a long march to equality. We have cracked the door, and opened the window.

We were not republicans or democrats during Katrina. We truly were all Americans, and Trent Lott came through for me.

The economy is most important. It is off track.

I want to just say something very, very personal. As you know, Louisiana has undergone a lot of flooding over the last couple of weeks [August 2016]. And I just want to thank the American people for their generosity and supporting so many victims of that terrible flooding.

Dr. [Martin Luther] King led a very historic march here in Washington, D.C. It was a march for jobs and freedom. It was a march to raise expectations that this country could live up to its ideals. I have watched this debate, this conversation [betwin Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump] about bigotry, about racism, I find it all misplaced.

Donald Trump has not held an event in the black community. He has not gone to a black church, as Hillary Clinton has done.

I've been a government official. I've been dealing with another situation, another e-mail situation. The DNC was the victim of a cybercrime, an attack. And that has been my focus, not the focus of another round of e-mail controversies.

I got to stick with what I know [about The Clinton Foundation]. I'm not an official of the State Department.

No one is spreading any kind of rumors or saying anything about Donald Trump supporters or, for that matter, the supporters of Ted Cruz and everyone else.

I know people have embraced Donald Trump. He may not have embraced them. But he has every - he should distance himself. This sort of alt-right movement is very disturbing.

There's no question that Donald Trump has had ample opportunity to distance himself from the kind of racist language that comes from some of his supporters.

Trent Lott saved my family. I needed three things from him personally, and he came through for me. He made sure that the ice that we desperately needed was delivered. He got us ice, insulin and water. The food came as well. He put politics aside and made sure my family was ok. I will always thank him for that.

Just got off the phone with my health care provider asking them to explain why my premium jumped up. No good answer!

Isn't horrible weather great? It means I don't have to wash my car!

I you don't value your time, no one else will.

There's no question that Donald Trump has said things that are very unsettling. I mean, whether it's comparing Mexicans to rapists, demonizing Muslim Americans, excoriating the federal judge who was handling the case.

This is a woman [Hillary Clinton] who has shown over and over again in her career that she will elevate this conversation but, more importantly, she will get things done so all Americans can prosper and grow.

Today, unfortunately, the right to vote seems to have become a partisan issue. Democrats seek to guarantee and expand voting rights. Republicans try to undermine and suppress voting rights.

When I look around me, I can't help having faith.

The smoking gun is that we're interviewing somebody who is involved in a cybercrime and not calling him a criminal.

We're like a Third World country when it comes to some of our election practices.

I know Reverend Jesse Jackson is controversial, and not a popular figure with many, but he hired me in 1984. He gave me my first job in politics.

Why you? Because there is no one better. Why now? Because tomorrow isn't soon enough.

If everyone likes you, it probably means you aren't saying much

Republicans bring out Colin Powell and J.C. Watts because they have no program, no policy. They have no love and no joy. They'd rather take pictures with black children than feed them.

I inspired a new generation in the same way the previous generation inspired me. I believe that our democracy itself is very inspiring.

Be the buffalo. Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee nation, once told me how the cow runs away from the storm while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker. Whenever I'm confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.

We can talk to the entire country, and not just the Beltway chatters,

We have done a poor job educating people about education. Only when we have clarified that can we talk about how best to achieve it.

There's a front runner in terms of name recognition. There's no front runner in terms of the passion we know we need, the leadership and the vision. Al Gore, if he decides to run, has to come out with a platform and a vision and stick to it regardless of what anybody says.

The vice president wanted the campaign to go directly to the American people, and by moving south and moving west, we are able to be more in the center of this country.

The most important thing to understand about this White House is, they are totally focused on the 2006 elections.

This could be an issue ? but one of many issues.

It's a tremendous honor for all of us to assist in her home-going celebration. We want to make sure that we honor this courageous woman in the most dignified manner.

It's very troubling, and simply not true. This administration, over the last five years, have worked very hard to improve the lives of working families and children in this country. We've seen a dramatic reduction in poverty, especially among children.

I want to find Sheila. I want to hear her say, 'Hey, Boo!' I want to hear from my sister. Wolf, I can't tell you the logistical nightmare of not just trying to find people, but then, of course, once you find them, to get them into shelters and then also to make sure that they have some places to go.

I know some Democrats won't agree with me. But then again, their families didn't lose anything.

I may not be a trained actor, but I've paid my dues. And I mean that literally. I am a fully dues-paid member of SAG/AFTRA. As a political figure, I've been called a 'card carrying' member of numerous groups that I'm not a member of - and now I'm being called a non-actor when I am literally a card-carrying member of the union for actors.

Before anyone accuses Senator Clinton of playing the race card, they should check out her record.

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Gary Condit must go.

George W. Bush was good as his word. He visited the Gulf states 17 times; went 13 times to New Orleans. Laura Bush made 24 trips. Bush saw that $126 billion in aid was sent to the Gulf's residents, as some members of his own party in Congress balked.

I do not know for sure if he's looking or flirting. But, I have an opinion - Gore remains a headliner and can raise money and rally the base. (But) it's hard for Gore to rule out running again before looking at the landscape.