There are three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change in America: good public policy, grassroots organizing and electoral politics.

Our politics are our deepest form of expression: they mirror our past experiences and reflect our dreams and aspirations for the future.

I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have, and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment.

Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning.

I also know that there have been many times in our history when the proximity of an election has induced exactly the kind of leadership and consensus-building that produce progress in our democracy.

You can't have a democracy when people don't learn to put themselves in the shoes of another person, who can't think what their policies mean for others.

The scenarios of biological or chemical warfare painted in detail by the American media during the months after September 11 only betray the inability of the government to determine the magnitude of the danger.

I think that humor has become a principle means of communication among Americans about politics.