“Serving in Congress has been more than an honor; it has been one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life ... It has been a wonderful ride. It has been a wonderful journey.” Has BeensWonderfulJourneyHonorCongressServingExhilaratingWonderful Journey Author:J. C. Watts
“You always hear 'black Republican,' but you never hear 'white Democrat.' We've got to get beyond the labels and stereotypes. Other people have hang-ups about it. I don't.” PeopleBlackWhiteRepublicanDemocratLabelsStereotypeHang Ups Author:J. C. Watts
“Consider in Washington, around the country today we are talking about balanced budgets, paying down our national debt, getting the economy going, defending ourselves, activist judges. Newt Gingrich did all those things when he was speaker. We got tax relief. We got balanced budgets. We got, you know, job creation. We paid down our national debt.” KnowsCountryTodayJobsTalkingEconomyCreationJudgingTaxesPaidDebtBudgetsReliefActivistSpeakersBalancedNational DebtNewtsJob CreationBalanced Budget Author:J. C. Watts
“For longer than I've been involved in the political process, the Republican establishment has claimed to want to provide an alternative for the black community, yet party elite refuse to show up for the game.” WantShowsPoliticalGamesProcessBlackCommunityPartyInvolvedRepublicanRefuseAlternativesEstablishmentElitesBlack Community Author:J. C. Watts
“I am willing to compete on my merits and on my character - not with the color of my skin. We talk about being a color-blind society, but I don't think the political process could actually handle that.” ThinkingCharacterPoliticalProcessColorWillingSkinsBlindHandleMerit Author:J. C. Watts
“I guess probably in my time in politics, it continued to be affirmed to me that the African-American community, despite being subscription television's most valuable customers, they are very underserved by cable and satellite television programming options.” CommunityTelevisionValuableCustomersDespiteAfrican AmericanMy TimeProgrammingCablesSatellitesSubscription Author:J. C. Watts
“I think that anybody that stays in school, gets good grades, pays the price, I think we are wealthy enough in the public and the private sector in America to make sure that every child in America that wants to continue their education, they should be able to do that.” ThinkingWantShouldChildrenEnoughAbleSchoolAmericaPayGradesWealthyPrivate SectorPay The PriceGood GradesStay In School Author:J. C. Watts
“I would love to be associated with some sports organization. I was a journalism major. That's kind of intriguing, to do something in the political-commentary arena.” KindPoliticalSportsMajorsOrganizationJournalismArenaIntriguingCommentary Author:J. C. Watts
“I'm not one that believes that affirmative action should be based on one's skin color or one's gender, I think it should be done based on one's need, because I think if you are from a poor white community, I think that poor white kid needs a scholarship just as badly as a poor black kid.” IfsThinkingNeedsShouldBelieveDoneKidsActionBlackCommunityWhitePoorColorSkinsGenderScholarshipAffirmative ActionAffirmativeSkin Color Author:J. C. Watts
“In 1989 when I switched from Democrat to Republican, with God as my witness, not one thing changed about what I believed about one man and one woman in a marriage or about diversity of color. That's a good thing.” MenOne ThingChangedColorRepublicanDiversityGood ThingsDemocratWitnessOne ManOne Woman Author:J. C. Watts
“In 2008, as a matter of fact, I had people accusing me of being a Senator Obama supporter because I wouldn't slam him. I said, 'Well, consider the fact that I voted for impeachment for President Clinton, but it wasn't a personal vote. I voted based on the facts and the law and the Constitution and what we were dealing with.'” PeopleWellsSaidMatterFactsLawPresidentVoteConstitutionClintonSenatorsSupporterMatter Of FactSlamAccusingPresident ClintonImpeachmentAccusing MeObama Supporters Author:J. C. Watts
“In my wildest imagination, I never thought that the fifth of six children born to Helen and Buddy Watts - in a poor black neighborhood, in the poor rural community of Eufaula, Oklahoma - would someday be called Congressman.” ChildrenBlackBornCommunityImaginationPoorSixSomedayNeighborhoodFifthBuddyCongressmanOklahomaHelenRural Communities Author:J. C. Watts
“Most of all, however, critics of black conservatives say we've forgotten where we came from. I may forget a federal budget number or, God forbid, to set the alarm clock for my weekly 6 a.m. flight to Washington, but I know exactly where I came from.” KnowsMayBlackForgetNumbersCriticsForgottenFlightClockBudgetsAlarmsAlarm ClocksWhere We Came Author:J. C. Watts
“My views on everything from welfare to a balanced budget to affirmative action can be traced to what Buddy and Helen Watts taught me as a young boy growing up poor but proud in Eufaula.” ActionYoungPoorViewsBoysGrowing UpGrowingTaughtProudBudgetsWelfareBalancedBuddyAffirmative ActionAffirmativeHelenBalanced Budget Author:J. C. Watts
“Reparations, I believe, are talked about for political reasons, trying to cater for the purpose of getting votes. If Congress was serious about reparations - in '93 and '94 the Democrats controlled the House, the Senate and the White House, and not one single Republican vote was needed for reparations.” IfsTryingBelieveReasonPoliticalPurposeHouseI BelieveWhiteSeriousNeededRepublicanVoteDemocratCongressWhite HouseControlledSenateReparations Author:J. C. Watts
“The more I ponder some of the boneheaded decisions GOP candidates have made of late, I can't bring myself to believe that they are serious about capturing more than about 8 percent of the black vote.” BelieveMadeI CanBlackDecisionSeriousLatePercentVoteCandidatesPonderingGop Author:J. C. Watts
“The past two decades revolutionized the way we access information. You and I can have our questions answered with the click of a mouse at any time of day. If America, both corporation and citizen alike, can use these services to solve problems, why can't Washington?” IfsWayI CanTwoUseProblemAmericaPastInformationCitizensSolveDecadesAccessCorporationsMiceClicksTime Of Day Author:J. C. Watts
“The Republican Party is terrific at determining how a program will impact the federal budget, but we're not nearly as good as the Democrats in explaining to people how our agenda will directly benefit them and their families.” PeoplePartyRepublicanBenefitsProgramImpactDemocratBudgetsAgendasRepublican PartyTerrificExplaining Author:J. C. Watts
“Well, Mark, I led the charge for five or six years to get reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I was chairman of an organization called 'FM Policy Focus.' What we were saying was, if there was blip in the housing market, Fannie and Freddie would destabilize the greatest economy in the world.” IfsWorldYearsWellsEconomyFiveFocusPolicySixOrganizationMarkReformHousingChairmanMacsMaeHousing Market Author:J. C. Watts
“Death and taxes may be inevitable, but they shouldn't be related.” MayTaxesInevitableRelatedSarcastic Author:J. C. Watts
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.” LifeInspirationalCharacterChoicesHonestyInspireSonIntegrityDefinedRight ThingDoing The Right ThingCharacter BuildingGood CharacterDoing RightGreat CharacterHonesty IntegrityHonesty And IntegrityIntegrity And CharacterHonest And IntegrityIntegrity CharacterHonor And IntegrityBuilding CharacterGood ChoicesInspirational CharacterReal CourageMorals And IntegrityMaking Good Choices Author:J. C. Watts
“They said that I had sold out and (am an) Uncle Tom. And I said well, they deserve to have that view. But I have my thoughts. And I think they're race-hustling poverty pimps.” ThinkingWellsSaidBlackViewsRacePovertyDeserveTomsUnclesThey SaidMy ThoughtsHustlePimpSold OutUncle Tom Author:J. C. Watts
“The American dream does not happen by asking Americans to accept what's immoral and wrong in the name of tolerance.” DoeDreamHappensNamesAcceptingAskingToleranceAmerican DreamImmoral Author:J. C. Watts
“A Black man voting for the Republicans makes about as much sense as a chicken voting for Col. Sanders.” MenBlackRepublicanVotingChickens Author:J. C. Watts
“The government taxes you when you bring home a paycheck. It taxes you when you make a phone call. It taxes you when you turn on a light. It taxes you when you sell a stock. It taxes you when you fill your car with gas. It taxes you when you ride a plane. It taxes you when you get married. Then it taxes you when you die. This is taxual insanity and it must end.” EndsHomeLightGovernmentDiesTurnsCarTaxesMarriedSellsPhonesPlanesInsanityGasTurn-onPhone CallsPaychecks Author:J. C. Watts
“My father taught that the only helping hand you're ever going to be able to rely on is the one at the end of your sleeve.” EndsHelpingWisdomHandsAbleFatherTaughtRelySleevesHelping Hand Author:J. C. Watts
“I think in politics, in Congress, you often do things that are Republican, or you do things because you're a Democrat. Sometimes that's good, obviously, and sometimes that's obviously bad. But in the news business, there's no such thing as Republican or Democratic news. News is news.” ThinkingSometimesBusinessRepublicanNewsDemocraticDemocratCongress Author:J. C. Watts
