Governor's Travels : How I Left Politics, Learned to Back Up a Bus, and Found America (2011)
Angus King:
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Famous Angus King Quotes
On his program to purchase iBook computers for Maine public schools, as quoted in "Maine Students Hit the iBooks" by Katie Dean in WIRED (9 January 2002)
On his decision to get back into politics, after the surprise announcement of the widely respected Senator Olympia Snowe that she would not run for office again, as quoted in "Maine’s Incoming Independent Senator Angus King on Caucusing With the Dems" on PBS NewsHour (19 November 2012) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics-july-dec12-king_11-19/
“My approach to the job can be summed up pretty simply — I never viewed politics as my career.”
Governor's Travels : How I Left Politics, Learned to Back Up a Bus, and Found America (2011)
Context: My approach to the job can be summed up pretty simply — I never viewed politics as my career. Important, yes, worthy of intense commitment, of course — but it was not my whole life. … I saw politics as a way to make a contribution and satisfy my penchant for public policy, but not as something I couldn't live without.
“If there were four or five people like me, that would change the whole dynamic.”
As quoted "King Returns: Ex-Gov. Fights For Snowe's Senate Seat" by Susan Sharon at NPR (14 March 2012) http://www.npr.org/2012/03/14/148604276/king-returns-ex-gov-fights-for-snowes-senate-seat
Context: I don't have any illusions that I'm naively going to go down and Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are going to say, "Angus, tell us how to do this." I mean, I know that's not going to work. But I think, No. 1, my election would send a significant message and, No. 2, it might provoke similar movements in other states. If there were four or five people like me, that would change the whole dynamic.
“It wouldn't take but four or five centrists like me to completely change the dynamics.”
As quoted in "Angus may be a king-maker" by Deborah McDermott in Seacoast Online (11 March 2012)
Context: We could send down a combination of Pericles and Thomas Jefferson, and if that person's reporting to Harry Reid [Senate Majority Leader] or Mitch McConnell [Senate Minority Leader], he's going to be ineffective. … Every vote is a test vote. Every vote is party loyalty. We're sunk if it keeps up this way. … It wouldn't take but four or five centrists like me to completely change the dynamics.
Angus King Quotes
Bowdoin Academic Spotlight interview (2011)
Context: One of the real benefits of any travel is gaining some perspective. You see things from different points of view. That came home to me in a variety of ways: politically, economically, seeing what was going on in other states.
“Frankly, I think I might scare [the parties], and that would be a good thing.”
As quoted in "Angus King joins race for Senate" by Jonathan Riskind in The Kennebec Journal (6 March 2012) http://www.kjonline.com/news/angus-king-joins-race-for-senate_2012-03-05.html
“If you like the system as it is, I’m not your guy… If you want a shot at changing it, join me.”
As quoted in Why Angus King is the most important Senate candidate in the country" by Aaron Blake in The Washington Post (6 March 2012) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/why-angus-king-is-the-most-important-senate-candidate-in-the-country/2012/03/06/gIQANf7DvR_blog.html
Bowdoin Academic Spotlight interview (2011)
Context: You have to take advantage of the opportunities that life gives you, particularly the moments in time when you have time, when you're between jobs or you retire. Get out and go. I think most of us are way too intense. We need to take a deep breath and do things that maybe don't fit the normal picture of what we're supposed to do at that stage of life. In some ways, this book is one big argument for just plain loosening up.
As quoted in "Former Gov. King announces he'll run for U.S. Senate" in The Portland Press Herald (6 March 2012) http://www.pressherald.com/news/King-has-made-up-his-mind-Pingree-hasnt.html
Context: We proved that with civility, common sense, building bridges, working with coalitions and working with people one at a time, we could do something. … I can speak for the middle. … The real issue is the system itself.
Bowdoin Academic Spotlight interview (2011)
Bowdoin Academic Spotlight interview (2011)
Context: Jefferson said the states are the laboratories of democracy. But the problem is, nobody reads the lab reports.
We've got every state trying to reinvent everything. I was struck even more so after this trip how little exchange there is among states that are coping with exactly the same issues.
As quoted in "Angus may be a king-maker" by Deborah McDermott in Seacoast Online (11 March 2012) http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120311/NEWS/203110325/-1/NEWSMAP
Context: I think I can honestly say that if Olympia had announced her retirement because of ill health or to spend more time with Jock I probably wouldn't have run. … What perked me up is why she is leaving. Olympia has 30 years of seniority, she's likable, she works very hard, and if she can't make it work, nobody in either party is going to make it work. … I don't have any illusions it will be easy, but I do think particularly if the two parties are closely divided, I will have an influence … I might have a chance of starting a movement toward change in this broken system. This country has serious problems, but you can't address them if the institution set up to address the problems is broken.
Stating that he was considering a run as an Independent for US Senate after Olympia Snowe's surprise announcement that she would be retiring from it, as quoted in "Olympia Snowe Retirement Causes Maine Scramble" in the Associated Press (29 February 2012) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/olympia-snowe-retirement-maine_n_1310524.html
Context: I'm giving it some thought for the very reason that Olympia quit. It's just not working down there and maybe we need to try something different. … We have serious problems in this country but we can't begin to solve them until we solve this shrill deadlock.
“I might have a chance of starting a movement toward change in this broken system.”
As quoted in "Angus may be a king-maker" by Deborah McDermott in Seacoast Online (11 March 2012) http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120311/NEWS/203110325/-1/NEWSMAP
Context: I think I can honestly say that if Olympia had announced her retirement because of ill health or to spend more time with Jock I probably wouldn't have run. … What perked me up is why she is leaving. Olympia has 30 years of seniority, she's likable, she works very hard, and if she can't make it work, nobody in either party is going to make it work. … I don't have any illusions it will be easy, but I do think particularly if the two parties are closely divided, I will have an influence … I might have a chance of starting a movement toward change in this broken system. This country has serious problems, but you can't address them if the institution set up to address the problems is broken.
Bowdoin Academic Spotlight interview (2011)
Context: You have to take advantage of the opportunities that life gives you, particularly the moments in time when you have time, when you're between jobs or you retire. Get out and go. I think most of us are way too intense. We need to take a deep breath and do things that maybe don't fit the normal picture of what we're supposed to do at that stage of life. In some ways, this book is one big argument for just plain loosening up.
On his program to purchase iBook computers for Maine public schools, as quoted in "Maine Students Hit the iBooks" by Katie Dean in WIRED (9 January 2002) https://archive.is/20130630155629/www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2002/01/49046
