Politics has high and low moments. Sometimes it brings out the better angels of our nature; sometimes baser instincts.
Civility is not simply about manners.
Public decision-making does not lend itself to certitude.
History provides a sense of where we've been and lessons that can be taken forward.
If you read literature, you put yourself in somebody else's shoes. You learn from great figures in literature.
When I look at Social Security, I consider it the most important social program in the United States, arguably the most successful program in the world.