The Best of Notable Quotables; December 15, 1997

Vol. Ten; No. 25


Damn Those Conservatives Award



"The right wing has lied repeatedly in an effort to move public
opinion on this issue....Lie No. 1: Conservatives care about
life. The renowned quipmeister, Rep. Barney Frank, Massachusetts
Democrat, once said, 'Conservatives' interest in life begins at
conception and ends at birth.' Truer words were never spoken. If
they did care about taking care of babies and protecting the
helpless, they would not be so driven to cut government programs
that help the poor, nor so concerned about paying a few dollars
less of their own money in taxes."  

--NBC Radio/Westwood One reporter and PBS To the Contrary host Bonnie Erbe on pro-choice lies on partial-birth abortion in her syndicated column, March 29 Washington Times. [81 points]


Runners-up:


"You were raised, sir, in a subsidized housing project by a
single mother and yet you support welfare reform and oppose
affirmative action. How do you square those two sides?"  

--Today's Ann Curry to Paul Harris, the first black Republican elected to the Virginia House of Delegates since 1891. [58]

Michael Barone, Reader's Digest: "I'm not as confident as Bill
Press that I know the inner workings of the mind of Paula Jones.
I don't feel that I do..."
Margaret Carlson, Time: "What mind?"  

--CNBC's Equal Time, September 11. [55]

"The head of the Republican political lobbying group that calls
itself, quote, 'the Christian Coalition' said today he's leaving
to start a political consulting business. Ralph Reed's group took
a beating on some of its hard-right agenda in the last election."

--Dan Rather, April 23 CBS Evening News. [49]