“A healthy corporation acts on the interests of its stakeholders and customers.”
― Ari Melber
“Honestly, anchoring the news on a nightly basis is the hardest job I’ve ever taken on.”
― Ari Melber
“Obama’s openness is a welcome change from his predecessor, who went all the way to the Supreme Court to hide the RSVP list for a single policy meeting. And transparency is intrinsically good, since in a democracy, very little government activity is legitimately secret.”
― Ari Melber
“Iowa is especially critical for underdog and cash-strapped campaigns, because the caucus system relies on grassroots organizing, enabling candidates with time for retail politicking to beat better-funded rivals. So underdogs usually seize on the state.”
― Ari Melber
“Corporations, like nations, do not have friends. They have interests.”
― Ari Melber
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid likes to reminisce about being an amateur boxer. But his Senate tenure has often looked like an endless rope-a-dope.”
― Ari Melber
“The president’s powers are always open to being questioned by the co-equal branches of government.”
― Ari Melber
“I started freelancing, writing op-eds and book reviews, one at a time. I then got the opportunity to write recurring freelance pieces for ‘The Nation’ magazine, focusing on how the Internet was changing politics.”
― Ari Melber
“Like any extraordinary power, surveillance provides temptations for abuse, such as tracking political opponents and journalists.”
― Ari Melber
“I’ve worked in government. I’ve worked in competitive New York litigation, I’ve worked as a writer and reporte..”
― Ari Melber
“’House of Cards’ is full of hypocrites, some ashamed, many proud. There is no silver lining here, no appeal to a just system that is temporarily thwarted by corrupting forces.”
― Ari Melber
“I get up with an old-school alarm clock.”
― Ari Melber
“It’s never a good sign when extremism becomes the norm.”
― Ari Melber
“Anyone with a cursory knowledge of American history knows that unchecked spying undermines democracy and public trust.”
― Ari Melber
“The modern GOP has perfected this cyclical deficit outrage ritual. Republicans run up the tab when they control the White House, then scream about deficits when Democrats win – insisting that ‘serious reform’ means cutting only Democratic budget priorities.”
― Ari Melber
“Like any good lawyer, I’m going to maintain a confidentiality of advice offered in confidence.”
― Ari Melber
“I feel like I’m totally me, and I feel like the show reflects my intensity, my vibe, and my search for evidence and answers.”
― Ari Melber
“The Obama campaign has adeptly used YouTube and social networks as a relatively thrifty way to do targeted messaging.”
― Ari Melber
“Thieves don’t usually make good therapists.”
― Ari Melber
“TV is still a ‘push’ medium – we are broadcasting into any home or business with basic cable, and depending on what’s happening in the world, we have a wider audience, from news junkies to very sporadic viewers. On TV, you want your reporting to be valuable to that entire audience and be relevant.”
― Ari Melber
“One of the great things about ‘The Cycle’ is that we have a wide set of topics – news, culture, music, and sports – and every week, we have several authors of new books on, which often injects literature, history, technology, business, and science into our show as well.”
― Ari Melber
“That’s the problem with precedents. Even the extreme ones tend to get repeated.”
― Ari Melber
“Political operatives don’t tend to be existentialists. They do know, however, that if a supporter doesn’t vote, then his or her opinion does not make a sound – or a difference.”
― Ari Melber
“Republicans believe an obstructionist, do-nothing Congress will deny Obama momentum and keep their base energized.”
― Ari Melber
“The ‘FISA Amendments Act’ would gut the oversight system established by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which subjected domestic spying to review by a special intelligence court.”
― Ari Melber
“From the Fourth Amendment to post-Watergate reforms to the national outcry when Bush’s warrantless surveillance was revealed in 2005, the United States has a strong tradition of overseeing the government’s power to spy on its citizens.”
― Ari Melber
“Shareholders, of course, have every right to weigh in on whether (or how) they want a company to exercise political influence.”
― Ari Melber
“When controversy calls, corporations can be far more responsive than politicians. The market votes every day, after all.”
― Ari Melber
“Of course, no one doubts McCain’s personal tenacity, from braving torture to overcoming cancer. Yet plenty of nonpartisan observers doubt his credibility.”
― Ari Melber
“Obstruction takes time.”
― Ari Melber
“Confronting Republicans can definitely mobilize a disaffected Democratic base.”
― Ari Melber
“It’s hard to be a national punch line unless lots of voters have soured on you.”
― Ari Melber
“Historically, the most favorably viewed figure in any administration is the first lady, regardless of her husband’s popularity. That is largely because first ladies avoid the political fray and are ritualistically presented as a warm, human presence in the White House.”
― Ari Melber
“Obama won the presidency by running the first integrated three-screen campaign – reaching people directly via Internet, cell phones, and TV – with an authentic, complex style that resonated for voters sick of dark, deceitful, and divisive politics.”
― Ari Melber
“In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to gauge a candidate’s instincts.”
― Ari Melber
“The Tea Party movement’s economic agenda is a matter of emphasis, not exclusion. This is not a single-issue group.”
― Ari Melber
“Tea Party sympathizers are more conservative on abortion policy than typical Republicans.”
― Ari Melber
“Why do Tea Party backers oppose abortion at higher rates than their traditional GOP cohort? Religion.”
― Ari Melber
“Tea Party adherents are actually more religion-driven and more anti-abortion than the party they are supposedly upending.”
― Ari Melber
“Obama must scrutinize and disassemble the post-Sept. 11 imperial presidency, even if he reduces his own power in the process.”
― Ari Melber
“The Bush administration opened several lines of attack against the rule of law and the integrity of an independent Justice Department. The scandals are so famous that they’ve been reduced to shorthand: Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, NSA, Attorneygate.”
― Ari Melber
“Obama can show that America’s promise of equality not only means that anyone can reach the highest office in the land – it also means that everyone is equally subject to the law.”
― Ari Melber
“If anything, the genuine human struggles in ‘Sicko’ raise questions about our society that run much deeper than what passes for political discourse today. Why does such a rich nation let people suffer and die without health care?”
― Ari Melber
“A louder government with less journalism does not enrich our democratic process.”
― Ari Melber
“When a government forcibly holds enough people indefinitely without trial, it evokes the kinds of raids, detention, and abuses of power associated with authoritarian states – or darker periods in American history.”
― Ari Melber
“Even George W. Bush, who as president pushed the boundaries of executive power, never proposed a statutory scheme to hold people indefinitely.”
― Ari Melber
“A precedent provides legal authority for an action precisely because it occurred before.”
― Ari Melber
“I got some experience appearing as a guest on several news channels, and I thought over the years I would be able to mix practicing law and writing with providing analysis on TV. I didn’t know that would lead to a full-time opportunity that would take me away from my law practice. When MSNBC made me an offer to join, I jumped at it.”
― Ari Melber
“My job is to be accurate and clear.”
― Ari Melber
“Law and politics are often overly complicated because there are people that don’t want the rest of us to know what’s going on.”
― Ari Melber
“It always rankled me – in law school and the legal profession – when lawyers would speak to each other in their own exclusive language.”
― Ari Melber
“There are a lot of things that people learn and live through culture first, and politics comes afterward.”
― Ari Melber
“The press is always more comfortable with factual determinations than moral ones, although in day-to-day life, a lot of people care a heck of a lot more about morality than every precise actual fact.”
― Ari Melber
“Being an independent reporter with legal knowledge fits me better than being an attorney who is representing one side or one goal.”
― Ari Melber
“I would love to get Chief Justice John Roberts for an interview. I think that would be fascinating, I think that Supreme Court nominees should do more interviews.”
― Ari Melber
“’House of Cards’ is aiming for truth, not accuracy.”
― Ari Melber
“Washington is deeply frustrating because so many of the positions that politicians hold are a product of ephemeral self-interest. They reverse themselves, for themselves, all the time.”
― Ari Melber
“Hypocrites are more enraging than extremists, as every campaign operative knows.”
― Ari Melber
“While ‘Django Unchained’ presents a morally stark universe, where people do and say evil things with no remorse, it also luxuriates in the license that such evil provides.”
― Ari Melber
“Iowa has long been heralded as a bulwark against the money and media that dominate the modern presidential race. Its caucus requires voters in every precinct to actually gather in a room, at one time, and listen to neighbors pitch their chosen candidates, before they are allowed to vote.”
― Ari Melber
“The Trump administration has struggled with ethics vetting for Cabinet nominees and faced criticism for the president’s decision to remain invested in his business empire.”
― Ari Melber
“TV can keep you honest because the viewers really do listen. People who have succeeded in this have shown the audience how hard they work and that their reporting is really worthwhile.”
― Ari Melber
“I remember buying The Fugees’ ‘The Score’ my freshman year and feeling like this whole new world and this whole new conversation was opening up to me.”
― Ari Melber
“There’s a lot of hip-hop that’s oriented toward a progressive view of America because it’s oriented toward a civil rights progress and a critique of the power structure.”
― Ari Melber
“Younger viewers have a very strong detector for what’s real and legit and what’s phony or pandering.”
― Ari Melber
“If you would have said, in law school, would it be more likely that I would be working on a book or on a TV show, I would have said book.”
― Ari Melber
“I was more interested in journalism and fact-finding than other things, so I didn’t plan to work 30 years as a lawyer.”
― Ari Melber
“My favorite rappers are a lot of other people’s favorite rappers. I love Jay Z, Kanye, 2Pac, Biggie, old Mos Def.”
― Ari Melber
“I think hip-hop has always been political because this is a community that doesn’t have any other choice.”
― Ari Melber
“I do listen to Drake.”
― Ari Melber
“Rick Ross has good beats, if some more questionable content.”
― Ari Melber
“I don’t look at ratings when they come out in the afternoon before the show because I’m focused on that day’s show, but I do see the overall numbers.”
― Ari Melber
“I think politics is always about dialogue. I think journalism ranges from dialogue to monologue, and there are times when different poles are necessary.”
― Ari Melber
“Good lawyering is usually cerebral and impersonally. You can convince a judge with a mastery of facts, detail, and precedent – not a story from the gut about how you feel a certain way.”
― Ari Melber
“When I get serious criticism – if I get serious criticism – it’s about how I’m thinking and engaging in a topic. I can’t think of an example of someone saying, ‘You’re too nice.’”
― Ari Melber
“I think the challenge for anyone in a visible industry, whether it’s media, government, or political organizing, is to take serious criticism seriously and not to live in the shadows of the noise and the concern trolls.”
― Ari Melber
“My hope is to be a trusted utensil for viewers. Like, literally, ‘That thing works. I can rely on that thing.’”
― Ari Melber
“Only a few bloggers have the audience and credibility to effectively break stories, pressure the traditional media, incubate new ideas, or raise real money. These influential bloggers are usually sharp, opinionated, and focused on the world ‘offline.’ They refuse to view events through the solipsistic blinders of their own websites.”
― Ari Melber
“Democracy functions better when donors push politicians to win campaigns based on their defining issues instead of using financial pressure for policy changes, favors, or special access.”
― Ari Melber
“Progressive bloggers should not only write on behalf of the members of America’s underclass but also empower them to join the discussion.”
― Ari Melber
“News may not be very profitable anymore, but it sure is popular.”
― Ari Melber
“Here is one iron law of the Internet: a social network’s emphasis on monetizing its product is directly proportional to its users’ loss of privacy.”
― Ari Melber
“As every newspaper reader, liberal activist, or parliamentary junkie knows, the overarching barrier to most of Obama’s agenda is the abuse of the filibuster in the Senate. In fact, several of Obama’s second term priorities are not ideas in search of a majority – they are majorities in search of an up-or-down vote.”
― Ari Melber
“The Dream Act and the DISCLOSE Act, to name two, had majorities in both chambers during Obama’s first term, but they were filibustered to death. They probably await a similar fate unless the filibuster is reformed.”
― Ari Melber
“Barack Obama was first elected after a period of profound failure by elite and government institutions, from finance to foreign policy to Hurricane Katrina, and his first term immediately and unapologetically enacted a flurry of government solutions.”
― Ari Melber
“Politics has certainly changed a lot in an era of micro-targeting, Super PACs, and Twitter.”
― Ari Melber
“In politics, your opponent can be far more important than your vision.”
― Ari Melber
“Navigating a battle between partisan, progressive organizing and decentralized petition drives is, at bottom, like trying to choose between the Democratic Party and democracy. The ideas are on different planes.”
― Ari Melber
“If you believe in democracy, you accept, by definition, the existence and triumph of opposing ideas. The people who believe deeply in the Internet’s force as a commons operate on that kind of premise.”
― Ari Melber
“TV ads are great for broadcasting, but voter turnout is about narrow-casting. And not all messengers are created equal.”
― Ari Melber
“Companies like YouTube will continue to be tested on their commitment to the mission that made them such popular and profitable websites – providing an open platform to a wide range of ideas from around the world.”
― Ari Melber
“In American politics, there’s a recurring fantasy, nurtured by the press, about ‘courageous’ politicians who do the right thing against their political interest. But really, isn’t it even more encouraging when the right thing has just become good politics?”
― Ari Melber
“President Obama does not usually accuse Republicans of being too hawkish.”
― Ari Melber
“The first rule of hip-hop is probably keep it real. And that can mean a lot of different things, but that’s certainly important in reporting and storytelling.”
― Ari Melber
“There’s a great deal of enthusiasm about quality, serious journalism. And some of it relates to personalities because it’s people who do the news. But I think it reflects a real desire for facts, real news and reporting.”
― Ari Melber
“The first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus is crucial for every presidential campaign.”
― Ari Melber
“Many candidates use a political autobiography to sell their candidacy.”
― Ari Melber
“Large majorities of voters support taxing millionaires and protecting social security.”
― Ari Melber
“Only in Washington can the pursuit of a conservative agenda, with centrist policies, be depicted as liberal reform.”
― Ari Melber
Leave a Reply