"The competent arguer won't adopt a position in the first place unless he is absolutely sure it is defensible." Source: How to Win Arguments (1981)...
Principle of Defensible Arguments
read more
Quotes
An extensive archive of Bill Rusher’s quotes. The section is organized thematically, enabling readers to filter his thought by different themes that he discussed over the years.
Nixon’s Two-Sidedness
"The discussion lasted an astonishing three hours and ended … only because both Buckley and I had other appointments. I remember being particularly...
Nixon’s China Policy Skepticism
"Reportedly Nixon … regards the détente with Peking as the principal jewel in the notoriously underdecorated diadem of his administration, but the...
Loss of GOP Identity
"No one can effectively lead or even work for the Republican Party today, because no one can possibly say what it stands for." Source: The Making of...
Goldwater’s Political Flexibility
"Occasionally … Goldwater shoots from the hip; it is at least possible that he hated himself the morning after that interview. But it is more...
Building a New Coalition
"Of course, nothing worth while is ever achieved without sacrifice, and the formation of the coalition I have described will entail losses as well...
Hidden Motives in Arguing
"People often have other reasons for arguing: unacknowledged or even unconscious reasons that have little or nothing to do with “prevailing” or...
Politicians’ Courteous Self-Interest
"Politicians are characteristically most polite to people whose support they hope some day to get, not to those whose support they already have."...
Low Standards in Politicians
"Politicians are the grease on which society's wheels turn. And they can't be better, most of the time, than a sort of low competence and honor."...
Politics as a Serious Profession
"Politics … is a serious business—for its regular practitioners a true profession—and experience acquired in it, in managerial as much as in...
Media’s Revolving Door
"Precise what metamorphosis do the Dotty Lynches of contemporary Washington undergo on the short trip from Senator Hart's headquarters to CBS? And...
Presidential Unpopularity Cycles
"Presidents wear out their welcome, and each president is denounced as the worst president we have ever had. I heard that about literally every...