54 Rick Perlstein Quotes for You to Enjoy

Rick Perlstein

American Historian

Born: 1969

American Own People Political Time You

Related authors: Carter G. Woodson Daniel J. Boorstin David McCullough Henry Adams James Truslow Adams Robert Fogel Tara Westover Will Durant

The history of American higher education over the twentieth century is an extraordinary one, the story of the creation of a powerhouse set of institutions that are the envy of the civilized world. Once they were the province, both among the student and faculty bodies, of children of privilege, generally WASPs. Rick Perlstein

Education History World Envy Higher Education Creation Extraordinary Once Both Civilized Civilized World Higher Student Generally Faculty Over Institutions Powerhouse Were Province Privilege American The History Of Children Story Century Bodies Twentieth Twentieth Century Wasps Among Set

I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better recognize the vastness of the social universe - for there are so, so many worlds that are not your own. Rick Perlstein

I feel bound to respect Ronald Reagan, as every American should - not least because he chose a career of public service when he could have made a lot more money doing something else, and not least because he took genuine risks for peace. Rick Perlstein

Service Respect Peace Risks Money Made Every Else Took Something Something Else More Could He Feel Bound Because Genuine Reagan Least Doing Lot American Ronald Reagan Public Should Public Service Chose Every American Career

It's almost a very rough rule of thumb: when Democrats are able to successfully frame the meaning of an election season around middle-class fears, Democrats win the election; when Republicans are able to successfully frame the meaning of an election season around cultural fears, Republicans win the election. Rick Perlstein

Win Election Fears Frame Rule Able Thumb Almost Around Democrats Cultural Very Republicans Meaning Meaning Of Successfully Rough Season

Look at liberty's greatest historic advances: ending slavery. Giving women the vote. Outlawing legal segregation. Each and every time, the people at the forefront of advancing those reforms - often putting their lives on the line - called themselves liberals. Rick Perlstein

Time Vote Legal Women People Liberty Ending Giving Every Every Time Liberals Those Segregation Advances Advancing Putting Look Greatest Forefront Line Historic Reforms Often Themselves Each Lives Slavery

In Ronald Reagan's chaotic childhood, the imagination was armor. There is nothing unusual about that; transcending the doubts, hesitations, and fears swirling around you by casting yourself internally as the hero of your own adventure story is a characteristic psychic defense mechanism of the Boy Who Disappears. Rick Perlstein

You Yourself Psychic Hero Fears Own Nothing Imagination Defense Defense Mechanism Chaotic Characteristic About Casting Disappears Adventure Armor Unusual Around Boy Reagan Childhood Transcending Story Your Doubts Who Mechanism

Presidents are always also storytellers, purveyors of useful national mythologies. And surprisingly enough, Richard Nixon, this awkward man who didn't even really like people, had not been so bad at this duty - at least in the first four years of his presidency. Rick Perlstein

Man People First National Duty Richard Nixon Enough Presidency Presidents Nixon Bad Had Like Also Always Least Been His Years Surprisingly Storytellers Richard Really Useful Who Even Four Awkward

As a general rule of thumb, Democrats do better in national elections when the year's defining issue is economic fairness, and Republicans do better when the defining issue is national security. Rick Perlstein

Better Year National Rule Defining Security General Economic General Rule Thumb Fairness Democrats Issue National Security Republicans Elections

As an adult, I've always found the stereotype that Jews are liberal a curious one; my parents' circle was predominantly conservative, not just on Israel but on most political issues. Most of all, they were intensely (and this is a word I remember repeating in my own angry adolescent dialogues with myself) tribal. Rick Perlstein

Myself Angry Conservative Remember Political Word Circle Tribal Parents Own Jews Liberal Adolescent My Own Adult Stereotype Most Always Israel Issues Were Repeating Political Issues Curious Intensely Just Found

Over fifteen years of studying the American Right professionally - especially in their communications with each other, in their own memos and media since the 1950s - I have yet to find a truly novel development, a real innovation, in far-right 'thought.' Rick Perlstein

My politics of optimism and hope still casts its lot with the Democrats - in the optimistic hope that the dying embers of its status as the party of our better angels, one that took risks for social justice, can still be fanned into a flame. But I'm an old man, born in 1969. Rick Perlstein

Politics Hope Man Justice Risks Better Old Party Flame Took Our Status Born Angels Casts Democrats Still Lot Optimism Optimistic Dying Social Old Man Social Justice

One thing Republicans understand: In American elections, you have to choose from among only two people - not between the perfect and the good. Rick Perlstein

Good You People One Thing Only Perfect Between Understand American Republicans Elections Choose Among Thing Two Two People

In American religious history, theological qualms tend to get pushed aside when politics intervenes. Rick Perlstein

Politics History Religious Tend Pushed Qualms Get American Aside Theological

Why was Barack Obama attractive to people in 2008? If you think about Barack Obama, there's all this anxiety about society, just kind of wracked by centripetal forces - the idea that the center's not holding, no one can talk to each other, the idea of a political system that's broken. Rick Perlstein

Broken You People Anxiety Political Holding Think Society Other System Kind Obama About No-One Idea Talk Attractive Forces Political System Just Just Kind Center Barack Barack Obama Each Why

My big subject as a historian is how Americans divide themselves. What are the divisions that structure our political lives. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were perfect foils for that story. Rick Perlstein

The reason inflation was brought down to manageable levels, by the time of Ronald Reagan's re-election, was directly attributable to Jimmy Carter's very courageous act, hiring a Federal Reserve chair, with the charge to induce a recession. That recession was probably the reason he didn't win a second term. Rick Perlstein

Time Win Inflation Down Recession Jimmy Charge Carter Brought Directly Federal Federal Reserve He Term Re-Election Induce Attributable Courageous Reagan Hiring Very Manageable Act Reason Chair Reserve Second Levels Second Term By The Time

Do people still read before bed? I play 'Words With Friends.' Rick Perlstein

People Words Before Read Bed Still Friends Play

I don't read many popular histories like the ones I write. The building blocks for my research are scholarly monographs, and the inspiration for my storytelling style are folks like Chekhov. Rick Perlstein

Building Style Research Folks Inspiration Write Scholarly Like Read Chekhov Building Blocks Blocks Histories Storytelling Many Popular

I look to historians for their power to illuminate not just the invisible lineaments of the present, but also that which is not present. What are the roads that were not taken that most shape our own time? Rick Perlstein

Time Power Own Our Shape Taken Roads Invisible Look Most Also Were Historians Just Which Illuminate Present

My liberal friends love to dismiss Reagan. You know, they'll say something like, 'Oh, didn't he, like, only read one-page memos when he was in the White House?' Well, that's just good managerial practice. I mean, Franklin Roosevelt made people write one-page memos. Rick Perlstein

Love Good You People Made Practice White White House Liberal Say Franklin Franklin Roosevelt Something Only Write He Like Know House Well Read Reagan Friends Managerial Oh Just Mean Roosevelt Dismiss

Leaders are for calling people to their better angels, for helping guide them to a kind of sterner, more mature sense of what we need to do. To me, Reagan's brand of leadership was what I call 'a liturgy of absolution.' He absolved Americans almost in a priestly role to contend with sin. Who wouldn't want that? Rick Perlstein

Leadership Me People Better Sense Guide Kind Angels More Absolution He Priestly Leaders Almost Sin Call Calling Contend Reagan Brand Mature Role American Want Them Liturgy Who Helping Need

Watergate got us to think of leaders as mere mortals. America began to think of itself in a very different way - I would say a salutary way - and Reagan was most important in shifting the grand dynamic thrust of the American historical process by ending that. Rick Perlstein

Watergate Ending Important Shifting Think Way Say Would Thrust Leaders Mere Mortals Most Got Reagan Historical Began Itself Very Salutary America American Different Dynamic Process Grand Us Different Way

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