Claire McCaskill quotes

Claire McCaskill is an American politician and former U.S. Senator from Missouri. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Senate from 2007 to 2019, focusing on issues such as government accountability and healthcare. She continues to be active in public life as a political analyst and commentator. Here are 25 of her quotes:

I am a small-town girl.

Claire McCaskill

All the movies where I play nice guys don't seem to do very well.

Claire McCaskill

I think there are certain folks in Missouri that don't trust government. And they haven't trusted government for a long time.

Claire McCaskill

When the Tea Party comes to town, compromise goes out the door.

Claire McCaskill

When you work in the United States Senate, and you are around people of all different ideas and beliefs, you realize that what our Founding Fathers did that was so genius, is that they made the Senate the place where compromises are supposed to happen because of the makeup of the Senate.

Claire McCaskill

There are three legs of the stool; spending, entitlements and making the tax code fair and equitable. That's the three legs of the stool. If we do all of those in a responsible, bipartisan way, I think the American people would all be very, very happy.

Claire McCaskill

The political system loves the extremes, it doesnt so much show a lot love for the moderates.

Claire McCaskill

I'm asking regular folks to be my super PAC.

Claire McCaskill

Do I want Social Security to be there for my kids and my grandkids? Absolutely. Will I fight like a tiger to make sure that we protect Social Security? I absolutely will.

Claire McCaskill

Well, Im wrestling alligators.

Claire McCaskill

Obviously, I have been a pro-choice candidate for my entire political career, and obviously there is controversy always surrounding this issue.

Claire McCaskill

I'm a moderate. I hang out in the middle. I vote against my party with some regularity and try to compromise. It doesn't appear right now that the Republican Party is welcoming moderates any more.

Claire McCaskill

I think I'm the last Democrat left in the Senate after Russ Feingold was defeated that won't take earmarks.

Claire McCaskill

My first obligation is my job. It's very hard to really get into campaign mode when you've got to focus on doing the work.

Claire McCaskill

Somehow in the public sector, if you start in the mailroom and spend your life getting promoted, it's unseemly.

Claire McCaskill

Frankly, earmarking is not the problem. It is a symptom of the problem.

Claire McCaskill

Being a new mother was a joyful and sometimes overwhelming experience - and as the first Missouri female state legislator to have a baby while in office, having heath care for myself and my son gave me some needed peace of mind.

Claire McCaskill

I voted against my party with some frequency, because of my independence. I've just got to remind Missourians that I am independent and that I try to call them like I see them, and sometimes my party is wrong on some things.

Claire McCaskill

You never know what'll happen in politics.

Claire McCaskill

I started in the mailroom, literally, as an intern... in 1974. The legislator I was working for at the time said, 'I want you to get your law degree and come back here and get elected and be the first woman governor.' I kind of took that guy seriously - I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea.

Claire McCaskill

There's nothing that irritates Americans more than the fact that some members of Congress think they are entitled to their own set of rules. And it's true - too many people in Washington live in an alternate reality.

Claire McCaskill

No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.'

Claire McCaskill