- The idea that a few bureaucrats know what's best for all of society, or possess more information about human wants and needs than millions of individuals interacting in a free market, is both false and arrogant.
- If somebody is going to try to paste an epistemology on me, then give me Thomas Aquinas.
- The way the left tells it, the Republican Party is in this big massive civil war. It's Tea Party versus establishment, libertarians versus social conservatives. There is infighting, conflict, backbiting, discord. Look, I'm Irish. That's my idea of a family reunion.
- [on his proposal that the government might offer a probationary right to work to illegal immigrants] This gives people the ability to get right with the law, pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn English, learn civics, assimilate, be gainfully employed. And during the five-year period the government has to do its job. It has to secure the border. It has to have a tracking system in place so we know if a person overstays their visa.
- [observation on the state of the U.S. economy, 2014] It's the worst economic recovery since World War II. We should have slingshotted out of this recession. We have a small temporary aberration in our deficits only to be seen with much higher deficits in the near future, and we're not preparing for that.
- [on President Trump's tweet on Mika Brzezinski's bleeding from a face-lift]Obviously, I don't see that as an appropriate comment. What we're trying to do around here is improve the tone and the civility of the debate, and this obviously doesn't help do that
- [on Donald J. Trump, May 2017] A businessman always willing to challenge convention, he has shaken up Washington and laid out an agenda of generational proportions. Never afraid of a battle, he has made it his mission to fight for those who feel forgotten. When others would pivot, he stays true to who he is. Where others would turn back, he forges ahead. I have found a driven, hands-on leader, with the potential to become a truly transformational American figure. I have little doubt that he will, once again, find a way to defy the odds and get it done.
- We want pro-growth tax reform that will get the economy going, that will get people back to work, that will give middle-income taxpayers a tax cut and that will put American businesses in a better competitive playing field so that we keep American businesses in America. That's more important than anything else.
- [Observation, May 2021] Once again we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads. And here's the reality we have to face. If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality or on second rate politicians, then we're not going anywhere.
- [on the 2024 GOP presidential nominee] It's going to be palpable in 2024 that because we want to win and beat the Democrats, we know as a party we're better off with somebody else to be our nominee to guarantee a victory because we know we lose with Trump. It's the suburban voter. They're the big difference maker
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