Home / Authors / Karl Rove

Karl Rove

Karl Rove Quotes

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff

Karl Rove, born on December 25, 1950, is an American political advisor and former Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House. He played a significant role in George W. Bush's presidency, profoundly influencing policy-making and election strategies during his tenure.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs People Thinking America Republican Want Years Believe Government Knows

Famous Karl Rove Quotes

“'Empathy' is the latest code word for liberal activism, for treating the Constitution as malleable clay to be kneaded and molded in whatever form justices want. It represents an expansive view of the judiciary in which courts create policy that couldn't pass the legislative branch or, if it did, would generate voter backlash.”

Ifs Want Form Justice Views Policy Empathy Constitution Court Activism Code Branches Voters Clay Judiciary Backlash Legislative Branch

Author:Karl Rove

“Negative politics have always been around.”

Author:Karl Rove

“For a person who promised hope and civility in politics, Mr. Obama has shown a borderline obsessiveness in blaming Mr. Bush.”

Persons Politics Blame Usa Civility Borderline

Author:Karl Rove

“I know enough about European politics to know you've got a lot of crazy people who make their way onto the ballot.”

People Knows Way Enough Crazy Ballots Crazy People

Author:Karl Rove

“Many Democrats have a pre-9/11 worldview.”

Democrat Worldview

Author:Karl Rove

“Our competition for American business is no longer in the next county or the next state, it's around the world.”

World States Next Competition Around The World County American Business

Author:Karl Rove

“Ronald Reagan wasn't in the establishment of the Republican Party either, nor was Richard Nixon.”

Party Republican Establishment Republican Party

Author:Karl Rove

“And not only that, I also have the MacBook Air which is really cool. Even my wife is jealous of my MacBook Air.”

Wife Air My Wife Jealous Really Cool Macbook Macbook Air

Author:Karl Rove

“At the core, we are dealing with two parties that have fundamentally different views of the world.”

World Two Different Views Party Core Different Views

Author:Karl Rove

“I believe in traditional marriage.”

Believe I Believe I Believe In Traditional Traditional Marriage

Author:Karl Rove

“I hate to sound sort of diffident about it but it strikes me that a lot of people on the right have got active lives and are doing other things.”

People Hate Sound I Hate Active Strikes Active Life

Author:Karl Rove

“I mean, if you have to wake up in the morning to be validated by the editorial page of the New York Times, you got a pretty sorry existence.”

Ifs Mean Existence Morning New York Pages Wake Up Sorry New York Times Editorials

Author:Karl Rove

“I think if you talk to my colleagues, I was less than a fearsome individual.”

Ifs Thinking Individual Colleagues

Author:Karl Rove

“I wish I had the billions of dollars that George Soros has that he has used to fund Democratic causes in the past.”

Past Used Wish Causes Dollars Democratic Billions Fund

Author:Karl Rove

“I've been booed on stages. I'm a little bit tougher than to walk off a stage because someone says something ugly.”

Littles Bits Walks Stage Little Bit Ugly

Author:Karl Rove

“If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is.”

Ifs Knows Want Administration Leaks

Author:Karl Rove

“If you really want to diminish a candidate, depict him as the foil of his handler. This is as old in American politics as politics itself.”

Ifs Want Politics Candidates Diminish American Politics Foils

Author:Karl Rove

“In Europe and the United States, you've got different systems to select candidates, and no system is perfect.”

Different States Perfect United United States Europe Candidates Select

Author:Karl Rove

“Life is rough for a lot of people. Some people live in greater material circumstances than others, but life is rough for everybody.”

People Life Is Greater Materials Circumstances Rough

Author:Karl Rove

“But the world is a better place with Saddam Hussein gone.”

World Gone Saddam Better Place Hussein

Author:Karl Rove

“Well, I'm a Christian. I was a born a Presbyterian and became an Episcopalian.”

Wells Christian Born Presbyterians Episcopalians

Author:Karl Rove

“What Mr. Obama wants in a nominee isn't really 'empathy' and 'understanding.' He wants a liberal, activist Supreme Court justice.”

Want Understanding Justice Empathy Court Supreme Owners Activist Supreme Court Supreme Court Justice Court Justice Empathy And Understanding

Author:Karl Rove

“Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.”

War Wanted Understanding Saws Offers Prepared Conservative Therapy Savagery Indictment

Author:Karl Rove

“But, look, Washington is a town that creates myths for its own existence and its own amusement, and I was a subject of myth, sort of like Grendel in Beowulf - you know, not seen very often but often talked about.”

Knows Looks Existence Subjects Towns Myth Amusement

Author:Karl Rove

“I have become an adjective. There is something called a Rovian-style of campaigning and it's meant as an insult. One columnist said it consists mainly of throwing mud until it sticks. One prominent blogger described the elements of a textbook Rovian race as fear-based, smear-based and anything goes.”

Said Race Style Elements Sticks Insult Throwing Mud Textbooks Adjectives Prominent Bloggers Columnists Campaigning Anything Goes

Author:Karl Rove

“I think wealthy conservatives are busy investing in profit and job creation and enterprise, and wealthy liberals, many of them either from the media industry themselves or from - they recognize the value of communications and are more ready to put money into a less profitable enterprise, namely the media.”

Thinking Jobs Values Media Creation Ready Communication Industry Investing Busy Profit Enterprise Wealthy Profitable Job Creation

Author:Karl Rove

“I would have strong opinions and be prepared to argue my case, but if you talk to my colleagues, I think you'd find they consider me the jokester, the informal mayor of the West Wing.”

Ifs Thinking Strong Opinion Cases Wings Prepared West Arguing Be Prepared Colleagues Mayors Strong Opinions

Author:Karl Rove

“If you look underneath the surface of the Tea Party movement, on the other hand, you will find that it is not sophisticated. It's not like these people have read the economist Friedrich August von Hayek.”

People Ifs Looks Hands Party Movement Surface Tea Sophisticated Economist August Tea Party Hayek Tea Party Movement Von Hayek

Author:Karl Rove

“In his first 100 days, Mr. Obama has put the fate of his presidency in the hands of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He may come to regret that decision.”

Firsts May Hands House Decision Leader Fate Regret Majority Senate Speakers Presidency Nancy Majority Leader

Author:Karl Rove

“Look, in 1800 the sainted Thomas Jefferson arranged to hire a notorious slanderer named James Callender, who worked as a writer at a Republican newspaper in Richmond, Va. Read some of what he wrote about John Adams. This was a personal slander.”

Looks Republican Newspapers Slander Notorious Richmond

Author:Karl Rove

“Mr. Obama denounced the $2.3 trillion added to the national debt on Mr. Bush's watch as 'deficits as far as the eye can see.' But Mr. Obama's budget adds $9.3 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years. What happened to Obama the deficit hawk?”

Years Eye Next Watches Happened Add Debt Budgets Deficit Hawks National Debt

Author:Karl Rove

“Mr. Obama plans to boost federal spending 25 percent while nearly tripling the national debt over 10 years. Americans know that this kind of spending will have economic consequences, including new taxes being imposed by the new progressives.”

Knows Years Kind Plans Economic Taxes Percent Consequence Including Debt Spending Boost National Debt Federal Spending

Author:Karl Rove

“The claim made by Team Obama that every dollar in stimulus translates into a dollar-and-a-half in growth is economic fiction. The costs of stimulus reduce future growth. No country has ever spent itself to prosperity. The price of stimulus has to be paid sometime.”

Made Country Growth Half Fiction Team Economic Cost Claims Paid Dollars Prosperity Translate Stimulus Future Growth

Author:Karl Rove

“The difficulty for Mr. Obama will be when the public sees where his decisions lead - higher inflation, higher interest rates, higher taxes, sluggish growth, and a jobless recovery.”

Growth Interest Decision Higher Taxes Difficulty Rate Recovery Usa Jobless Inflation Interest Rate Sluggish

Author:Karl Rove

“If we do with Latinos what we did with African-Americans, Republicans and conservatives will be doomed.”

Ifs Politics Republican African American Doomed Latino

Author:Karl Rove

“It's been just a year since the RNC committed to revamp the way they help our candidates with its 'Growth and Opportunity Project,' and already there are signs of improvement. From new leadership and initiatives in the digital arena, to improving the GOP ground game (as we just saw with David Jolly's victory in FL-13), to the historic decision to restructure the primary calendar and primary debates, the RNC's steps will help keep the House and to take the Senate in 2014, win the White House in 2016, and build for the future. Looking forward to more progress in the months ahead.”

“Now is the time to be bold. It is easy when the wind is at your back. But the real test is now when the wind is in our face. That's when we find out if we are tough enough. Inspired enough, committed enough.”

Ifs Real Enough Motivational Faces Success Easy Wind Tough Tests Inspired Committed

Author:Karl Rove

“My name is Patrick Fitzgerald ... I like to tear the tops off small animals.”

Names Animal Tears Small Animals

Author:Karl Rove

“You may end up with a different math, but you're entitled to your math. I'm entitled to the math.”

May Different Ends Math Entitled

Author:Karl Rove

“Somebody gets to be smart and somebody gets to be dumb. If we win, it'll be because of the president. And if we lose, it'll be because of me.”

Ifs Winning President Loses Smart Dumb Being Smart

Author:Karl Rove

“We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality - judiciously, as you will - we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”

Reality Actors Left Study Creating Empires

Author:Karl Rove

“Mr. Obama has an ingenious approach to job losses: He describes them as job gains.”

Jobs Loss Approach Gains Usa Ingenious Job Loss

Author:Karl Rove

“Hurricane Sandy interrupted Mr. Romney’s momentum and allowed Mr. Obama to look presidential and bipartisan.”

Looks Presidential Romney Momentum Hurricanes Interrupted Bipartisan Sandy Hurricane Sandy

Author:Karl Rove

“Would the Iraq War have occurred without WMD? I doubt it.”

War Doubt Iraq Iraq War Wmd

Book:Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight

Source: Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight

“And I think there's something about conservatives frankly - and the Left, when it comes to their channels of persuasion, are unpersuasive. They are, most of them are hate-filled, obscenity-clogged rants of anger and hatred.”

Thinking Hate Left Hatred Anger Filled Persuasion Obscenity Rant

Author:Karl Rove

“I don't know about you, but moderation and restraint is not what I felt when I watched the twin towers crumble to the ground, a side of the Pentagon destroyed, and almost 3,000 of our fellow citizens perish in flames and rubble.”

Knows Felt Sides Citizens Fellows Destroyed Flames Twins Towers Restraint Moderation Pentagon Rubble Twin Towers

Author:Karl Rove

“[T]he economy remains the top issue for the electorate.”

Economy Issues Remains Notable Electorate

Author:Karl Rove

“The Democratic Party's problem is that voters don't believe the president's claims that the economy is thriving. Even people with jobs feel apprehensive. Paychecks are flat, growth anemic, and people are worried about their children's prospects. Mr. Obama had a 38% approval on handling the economy in the Sept. 9 Fox News poll. In the Sept. 7 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 67% believe America is on the wrong track.”

“To win in November, Republican candidates must show they are in touch with voter concerns about growth, jobs, paychecks, government spending and debt. The only way to do this is by offering specific, persuasive ideas.”

Way Ideas Shows Government Jobs Winning Growth Republican Concern Debt Spending Candidates Voters Offering Notable November Paychecks Persuasive Government Spending

Author:Karl Rove

“You may be right that people say: You know what, we had Obama. He was inexperienced. The guy had great rhetoric, sounded good, looked good, but has turned out to be an utter disaster. I want someone where I have confidence and credibility that they're up to the job and that I can trust what they tell me.”

People Knows Want May I Can Jobs Guy Confidence Disaster Rhetoric Looking Good Credibility Have Confidence

Author:Karl Rove

About the Author

Born: December 25, 1950
Known for: Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Quotes: 101

Related Topics

Ifs People Thinking America Republican Want Years Believe Government Knows

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the FightRelated source material

Similar Authors

Bill MaherBrowse related quotes
Marco RubioBrowse related quotes
Mitt RomneyBrowse related quotes
Rush LimbaughBrowse related quotes
Hillary ClintonBrowse related quotes
Rand PaulBrowse related quotes
John McCainBrowse related quotes
Paul RyanBrowse related quotes
Jesse VenturaBrowse related quotes
Ted CruzBrowse related quotes