Keith Ellison Quotes

The United States‘ job is not to police the whole world.

When I started running for Congress, it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress.

Pragmatism is not always a good thing. Experience is not always a good thing.

Those who seek the divine want to make this world a better place, which first requires that we communicate.

Americans deserve journalists who provide responsible, objective reporting.

Progressive policies implemented since the early 1900s launched America into the modern age and created a vibrant middle class.

Americans used to be able to depend on their jobs to provide a stable retirement.

I’m an energetic person. I work hard.

My mom, Clida, taught my four brothers and me about her father‘s work to organize black voters in rural Louisiana in the 1950s. We carried her dad‘s legacy of activism with us. The Civil Rights Movement was present in the daily life of my family in Detroit in the 1970s.

When you‘re a leader, you cannot ignore parts of your constituency, even if you know they’re not going to vote for you.

Progressive economic policies lead to a sustainable economy.

Faith really should be a bridge, not a wall. Because at the end of the day, we should be focusing on what you believe, not what your religion is.

I think that anybody who is going to be the standard-bearer, the spokesman for the progressive movement, in the context of a presidential race, has got to learn to master the language and really get their finger on the pulse of how people are feeling. I think that’s really important.

Every now and again, people on the far right take a quote from a progressive out of context and use it to attack them.

I’d tell you whose brand was tainted is Donald Trump. I mean, this guy was tainted every kind of way you could imagine. I mean, no way in the world that Donald Trump is a champion of working people.

We need more leaders speaking up for minority groups who have been marginalized and attacked.

Decent wages keep people out of homeless shelters. Decent wages allow families to afford books and, I don’t know, school fees and things like that.

For Ben Carson, Donald Trump, or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people.

Why can’t we get real, sane, sensible gun legislation? Because the NRA, funded by Mossberg, Smith & Wesson, Glock and all the rest of the big dogs in the weapons industry, you know, spread around donations and won‘t let it move through.

People will politicize religion; we see it in every faith, in every religion. We see it with Pat Robertson, in my opinion, and we see it with the Taliban.

You have to knock doors, make calls, and build a relationship with voters long before Election Day.

At the end of the day, the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott had to be converted into the 1964 Civil Rights Act. We don’t want politicians who’ve gotta be coaxed, cajoled and protested. We want them on our side from the beginning.

I’m not a scholar of Islamic history or jurisprudence or anything.

I’m going to be fighting to rebuild the Democratic party no matter what. I’m going to be fighting to make sure the Democratic party is known among working people that we are their champion no matter what.

Democrats need an organizer who will energize the grass-roots across this country to build the party from the bottom up.

Anybody that’s ever been to Israel and to Palestine knows that you can’t look at a person and tell if they’re Israeli or Palestinian. You can assume. But I’ve seen Palestinians who look Swedish, and I’ve seen Israelis who are black.

Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.

I try to live tolerance in my own way, which is why, as a politician, one of my key priorities is to stand up for human rights.

When I hear about these terrorist ideologies, they are completely foreign and strange to me. I mean, to me, it’s, like, antithetical.

I would really like to hear somebody who is really articulate about the elements of their faith conversion. I’m not.

I understand the risks associated with being a soldier. But I think as members of Congress, we should not intensify the chance that we’ll have to commit troops to a military conflict unless it’s absolutely necessary to defend the nation.

Republicans profess to be against deficits, but they are experts at creating and exacerbating deficits.

If you can make a movie, make one. If you can sing a song, sing it. If you can write a play, write it. If you want to run for office, run. But do something to make this world a better place.

Clean air and a healthy climate benefit all of us, but it will take a diverse coalition to step up to the threat posed by unchecked climate change.

I’ve never gotten up in front of a Muslim congregation and played the role of a religious leader, and I decline those invitations because that’s not what I am.

We must invest in and empower our state and local parties by creating effective field operations, an enhanced and advanced voter file, and a culture of collaboration between candidates at every level. Let’s put the voters first.

Serving my neighbors in Congress and fighting for them has been the best job I’ve ever had.

I believe that Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship are, and should be, key considerations in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East. Americans with roots or interests in the region should be involved in advocacy and discussions of public policy concerning the region.

How are we all going to pitch in to fix this party to make working America know that the Democratic party is absolutely on their side? That’s the real question.

We’re Americans – in times of crisis, we step up.

Environmental spending creates jobs in engineering, manufacturing, construction, materials, operations and maintenance.

I was born and raised in Detroit.

I’m not against T.V. advertising for campaigns, but we need to emphasize field campaigning much more than we do.

My faith and my identity as a Muslim – I never saw it as something that made my job harder. It’s just an aspect of who I am.

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it – for the long haul.

The truth is that we have got to make America work for working people again.

I think that whenever businesses harm the economy, harm workers, harm consumers, or undermine human rights in any way, then it is the role of the government to make sure that they don’t do that and to make sure that markets are fair and they operate properly.

The idea of a financial transaction tax on Wall Street trades is gaining momentum. I have a bill called – nicknamed the Robin Hood tax also. It’s a bill that taxes stock trades, derivatives and bonds, and would generate in the neighborhood of $300 billion a year.

People like, George Soros, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Paul Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sax, Dean Baker, Robert Poland, Larry Summers have said they all support a transaction tax.

When voters know what Democrats stand for, we can improve the lives of all Americans, no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation.