Talk of citizenship today is often thin and tinny. The word has a faintly old-fashioned feel to it when used in everyday conversation. When evoked in national politics, its usually accompanied by the shrill whine of a descending culture-war mortar. – Eric Liu
Heres a proposal, offered only partly in jest: no resident of the United States, whether born here or abroad, should get to be a citizen until age 18, at which time each such resident has to take a test. – Eric Liu
We tend to think of politics as bad, full of dirty tricks, negative ads, big campaigns, but I am here to explore the original meaning of politics, which is positive and has to do with balancing competing interests and looking for solutions. – Eric Liu
You cannot mistake Bushs clarity of purpose. He believes in a story about freedom and opportunity that makes his followers feel like they arent just ticking their days down but are part of something larger than themselves. – Eric Liu
There is this concept of politics as a dirty game. Its a difficult game, but it doesnt have to be dirty. I think this is what we need to bring to politics. I think politics around the world has very often been captured by big interests – lobbies they call them in the States. – George Papandreou