Top 70 Ron Fournier Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “A dose of humility goes a long way in life and in politics.”

— Ron Fournier

2. “We’re living in an era of unprecedented change, and I want to be a part of documenting it.”

— Ron Fournier

3. “If you like your health insurance plan, you can keep your health insurance plan.”

— Ron Fournier

4. “A presidential debate is a job interview. And voters look for certain traits in people applying to be president.”

— Ron Fournier

5. “It’s a deft trick to turn American exceptionalism into an exceptional political tactic.”

— Ron Fournier

6. “President George W. Bush won reelection in 2004 largely because he was seen as comfortable in his own skin, while rival John Kerry was viewed as a flip-flopping opportunist.”

— Ron Fournier

7. “Every now and then, a presidential candidate surprises us with a truly human and honest moment.”

— Ron Fournier

8. “We should measure our children not by the mountains they conquer but by their efforts to climb. Oh – and let them pick which hills to scale.”

— Ron Fournier

9. “If Mitt Romney is vanilla, Chris Christie is three hefty scoops of Rocky Road topped with whipped cream, Red Bull, and gravel.”

— Ron Fournier

10. “We, the people. Manifest Destiny. Conceived in liberty. Fear itself. Ask not. Morning in America. United we stand. Yes, we can. In times of great change and tumult, presidents seek to inspire beleaguered Americans by reminding them of their national identity.”

— Ron Fournier

11. “Political consultants are pugilists, masters in the dark art of negativity. Which is why it’s surprising to hear Democrats such as Steve McMahon and Republicans like Rich Galen urging their presidential candidates to be more, well, positive.”

— Ron Fournier

12. “Don’t stigmatize in a rush to explain inexplicable evil.”

— Ron Fournier

13. “American exceptionalism is the recurring character in the nation’s narrative.”

— Ron Fournier

14. “Blending hard-bitten realism with long-view optimism, Obama said that every 20 or 30 years brings a new cycle of pessimism in America.”

— Ron Fournier

15. “Although we were never pals and occasionally butted heads, my relationship with Clinton and his wife, Hillary, made me a better journalist.”

— Ron Fournier

16. “Like a cowboy saddling a bucking stallion, Republican leaders tried to tame the Tea Party while riding it to victories.”

— Ron Fournier

17. “Mandates are rarely won on election night. They are earned after Inauguration Day by leaders who spend their political capital wisely, taking advantage of events without overreaching.”

— Ron Fournier

18. “Washington’s answer to a self-inflicted financial crisis reminded Americans why they so deeply distrust the political class. The ‘fiscal cliff’ process was secretive and sloppy, and the nation’s so-called leadership lacked the political courage to address our root problems: joblessness and debt.”

— Ron Fournier

19. “With gridlock the norm, Congress’s approval rating is below 10 percent and the public has lost faith in its national leadership.”

— Ron Fournier

20. “Got good news and bad news for you, Mr. President. The good news is that Chief Justice John Roberts just saved your legacy and, perhaps, your presidency by writing for the Supreme Court majority to rule health care reform constitutional.”

— Ron Fournier

21. “Obama shows no sign of easing up on negativity.”

— Ron Fournier

22. “Movies such as ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ in 1939 to ‘Dave’ in 1993 portray Washington leaders as the ultimate Everymen – decent people just like you and me, only thrust onto greatness.”

— Ron Fournier

23. “Perhaps we should wait until his second term begins before carving Barack Obama’s face in Mount Rushmore. Is that asking too much?”

— Ron Fournier

24. “In Washington, compromise has become a dirty word.”

— Ron Fournier

25. “At the start of his second term, one wonders less about Obama’s fitness than his willingness: Why doesn’t he do more to build and maintain the relationships required to govern in era of polarization?”

— Ron Fournier

26. “Election night is the easiest time to act like a grownup.”

— Ron Fournier

27. “One of Obama’s most impressive attributes is his quiet confidence: Voters sense that he is comfortable in his own skin, a dedicated father and friend who won’t waste time with the phony rituals of Washington.”

— Ron Fournier

28. “The 2016 presidential election is ripe for the emergence of a game-changing political leader who either dramatically reforms one of the existing parties or mounts an independent bid.”

— Ron Fournier

29. “By nominating Chuck Hagel to be his Defense secretary, President Obama is putting forward an aloof contrarian who doesn’t suffer fools – a striving politician who considers himself above politics.”

— Ron Fournier

30. “According to a Public Policy Polling survey, most Americans find lice and colonoscopies more appealing than Capitol Hill.”

— Ron Fournier

31. “In times of tumult, voters are likely to forgive a president, if not reward him, for compromises made in service of solutions.”

— Ron Fournier

32. “You can almost see voters nodding their heads at home: The public’s faith in politicians and political institutions has been on a steep and dangerous decline for decades, because elected leaders fail to deliver.”

— Ron Fournier

33. “White House operatives went to great lengths to show Obama shifting focus from wars abroad to domestic issues at home.”

— Ron Fournier

34. “Obama might do well to remember that his fast rise from the Illinois state Senate was due in large part to an uncanny ability to make friends and find mentors.”

— Ron Fournier

35. “Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt faced adversities that, in their times, seemed impregnable. Great presidents overcome great odds.”

— Ron Fournier

36. “For a man who has compared himself to Theodore Roosevelt and the nation’s challenges to those of the Gilded Age, Obama put forward a tepid agenda.”

— Ron Fournier

37. “A concrete agenda and landslide victory might not even guarantee a president his mandate in a capital as polarized as Washington.”

— Ron Fournier

38. “Political reporters and political professionals rushed to judgment against Romney because we crave clear, unambiguous story lines.”

— Ron Fournier

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39. “Once a popular Alaska governor with a modest record of accomplishment, Palin could conceivably revive her reputation in this era of short memories. But it’s hard to imagine her name atop the GOP ballot in 2016, when a cast of heavyweights who sat out 2012 will be vying for the nomination.”

— Ron Fournier

40. “Anything can go wrong in a debate, and Obama is not a perfect debater.”

— Ron Fournier

41. “Don’t underestimate questions from the crowd; technology has made voters more informed than ever.”

— Ron Fournier

42. “Climate change was a point of division between Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney. The president declared climate change a global threat, acknowledged that the actions of humanity were deepening the crisis, and pledged to do something about it if elected.”

— Ron Fournier

43. “This is Romney’s biggest political weakness. His policy flip-flops and the general sense that he’s not comfortable in his own skin leads voters, including many supporters, wondering about his core values.”

— Ron Fournier

44. “Somebody must be up and somebody must be down. Trouble is, campaigns are messy, subtle creatures that don’t follow convenient narratives.”

— Ron Fournier

45. “Obama considers himself above deal-making and back-slapping, political necessities he often delegates to Vice President Joe Biden and other lesser sorts.”

— Ron Fournier

46. “Obama is capable – as evidenced by his first-term success with health care reform. But mandate-building requires humility, a trait not easily associated with him.”

— Ron Fournier

47. “The fact that Obama is getting criticism from the left and the right might reflect his understanding of the underlying political dynamics.”

— Ron Fournier

48. “It’s a bit unfair to accuse Obama of dividing the nation when the facts show that it already is.”

— Ron Fournier

49. “Obama still has work to do with the vision thing. Convincing voters that he has a credible, practical plan to turn the nation around is a process, not a speech.”

— Ron Fournier

50. “President Obama is casting his lot in the middle of a debate as old as America itself: Are we rugged individualists pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps? Or are we a nation of community, all connected and counting on one another?”

— Ron Fournier