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John Podhoretz

29 quotes

An American writer active since the 1960s, John Podhoretz has long been a source of memorable observations. John Podhoretz's observations on Power are as sharp as their thoughts on History, revealing genuine breadth of mind. 36 of John Podhoretz's sharpest quotes live here, spanning themes of Power, History, Government, War, and Future. A favorite of many readers: "Your race and gender don't change, but you can choose to change your political affiliation at will."

“By the time Obama came into office, Washington had already agreed over a period of a few weeks to a $700 billion government infusion into the world banking system. Nothing of the sort had ever been done before, and it was done spit spot with very little national debate.”

— John Podhoretz

Government

All Quotes by John Podhoretz

“Newt Gingrich has a restless and outsized intelligence that is tragically unleavened by any kind of critical sensibility.”

— John Podhoretz

Intelligence

“It has never made any sense to argue that, unique among the people of the world, Arabs are more concerned on a day-to-day basis about the treatment of people they don't know than they are about how they're going to put food on their own tables, or whether their sons will ever find a job.”

— John Podhoretz

Food

“If you want to know why Republicans and conservatives are in a political crisis, you need only consider the fact that the Right's deeply held view now boils down to this: Taxes should not go up on the wealthy, and your health benefits should be cut.”

— John Podhoretz

Health

“Hurtling the Pentagon into an unprecedented budgetary meltdown is horrifically irresponsible. Obama doesn't care. This is war - not against the Taliban, but war against the GOP. He has Republicans on the ropes, and that's a victory he savors and desires - unlike Afghanistan, where he seems only to want to turn tail.”

— John Podhoretz

War

“The idea that the rest of the world was somehow being held hostage by the Arab-Israeli conflict once had a minimal basis in reality. In the first 20 years of Israel's existence, every Arab country was in an active state of war with the Jewish state.”

— John Podhoretz

War

“Your race and gender don't change, but you can choose to change your political affiliation at will.”

— John Podhoretz

Change

“Making recess appointments when the Senate isn't in recess is neither rational nor moderate. It's a raw misuse of executive power by a president whose love of government is his most vulnerable spot with the electorate.”

— John Podhoretz

Government

“Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change.”

— John Podhoretz

Change

“This has always been the way of presidential politics. The president rises above the fray while his surrogates go on the attack. They throw the spears and fling the mud he sits upon the throne.”

— John Podhoretz

Politics

“All non-incumbent campaigns promise hope and change, but Obama took the promise to a new level of absurdity. He suggested that a vote for him would literally transform the Earth.”

— John Podhoretz

Change

“The problem is that borrowing money to pay back more borrowed money that will oblige you in the future to borrow even more money doesn't sound kosher. Because it isn't.”

— John Podhoretz

Future

“While negativity is politically useful, it is also demoralizing unless it is accompanied - and to some extent overshadowed - by elevated and inspiring ideas about the American future.”

— John Podhoretz

Future

“By the time Obama came into office, Washington had already agreed over a period of a few weeks to a $700 billion government infusion into the world banking system. Nothing of the sort had ever been done before, and it was done spit spot with very little national debate.”

— John Podhoretz

Government

“Here's a very good rule of thumb in politics: losing begets losing.”

— John Podhoretz

Politics

“Robots have a rich and storied history in movies.”

— John Podhoretz

History

“Obama has seen to the passage of the most radical legislation in recent American history and so-called 'progressives' should be thanking him for it - even as many of the rest of us rear in horror from its implications.”

— John Podhoretz

History

“Romney is right that the Obama vision is too centered on government. But his is too centered on the promotion of business and wealth creation at the expense of everything else.”

— John Podhoretz

Business

“What people adore about superhero movies is the signal quality of the Christopher Nolan films - their complete lack of irony when it comes to the portrayal of heroism and the need for heroes to confront evil.”

— John Podhoretz

Movies

“The thing is, Obama is right that it would be a calamity for the government to default on its debt by not meeting its obligations. Such a thing has never happened and can't be allowed to happen.”

— John Podhoretz

Government

“The classic rule of thumb is that if you are an intellectual ideological magazine, you do better in opposition than you do if your views are reflected by people in power.”

— John Podhoretz

Power