Activism is setting a goal of something you would like to be different, and figuring out what would have to change to achieve that goal. It's sort of like math.
Rachel MaddowIt used to be that we disagreed over the basic facts we were fighting over, and we had different opinions about them. Now I think we accept different sources of authority. ... And people can establish credibility on their own say-so as long as nobody follows the trail and calls them out on it.
Rachel MaddowI`m not sure, but [Russia] might be happy to see this guy [Dan Fried] exiting stage left.
Rachel MaddowI'm a national security liberal, which I tell people because it's meant to sound absurd.
Rachel MaddowThe issues which mattered to me as an activist, mainly things like prison reform and AIDS, have less of a chance of getting covered on my show than things I don't have a personal interest in. It's because I don't trust my antenna about being a good storyteller on those subjects, because I know a lot and therefore lose touch with what the average person might find interesting about them.
Rachel Maddow