Keith Ellison
Faith really should be a bridge, not a wall. Because at the end of the day, we should be focusing on what you believe, not what your religion is.Collection: Religion
Environmental spending creates jobs in engineering, manufacturing, construction, materials, operations and maintenance.Collection: Environmental
You have to knock doors, make calls, and build a relationship with voters long before Election Day.Collection: Relationship
My values - going back to my childhood - were always based on respect for all people and rejection of bigotry and racism.
Throughout my work as a state legislator and member of Congress since 2002, I have worked as hard as I could to build bridges. I've worked to combat anti-Semitism and confront Holocaust denial. I've organized dozens of meetings to promote interfaith dialogue and joint projects.
I'm an energetic person. I work hard.
I think debates are healthy. I think they include more people. And I don't believe most people, if they don't win, are just going to take their ball and go home.
I think that whenever businesses harm the economy, harm workers, harm consumers, or undermine human rights in any way, then it is the role of the government to make sure that they don't do that and to make sure that markets are fair and they operate properly.
Why can't we get real, sane, sensible gun legislation? Because the NRA, funded by Mossberg, Smith & Wesson, Glock and all the rest of the big dogs in the weapons industry, you know, spread around donations and won't let it move through.
I am not one of those people who has contempt for Hillary Clinton. I think she's served our nation. I think there are things that she's done that are very good.
I have a deep and personal aversion to anti-Semitism regardless of its source, and I reject and condemn the anti-Semitic statements and actions of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, and Khalid Muhammed.
We need more leaders speaking up for minority groups who have been marginalized and attacked.
The idea of a financial transaction tax on Wall Street trades is gaining momentum. I have a bill called - nicknamed the Robin Hood tax also. It's a bill that taxes stock trades, derivatives and bonds, and would generate in the neighborhood of $300 billion a year.
Decent wages keep people out of homeless shelters. Decent wages allow families to afford books and, I don't know, school fees and things like that.
I know a lot of police officers who are on the force to do the right thing to protect people. But how can you deny this pattern, this disturbing pattern, Alton Sterling, Mr. Castile in my own community, Philando Castile, but then Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland?
The real problem for Democrats is we've got to help people believe, and then we've got to deliver the message to them. Believe what? That we are absolutely, unshakeably on their side, and we're going to fight for them every single minute.
We got to make sure that the Democratic Party is not just Democratic, but seen to be Democratic. That means we got to have systems in place that makes sure that everybody who participates in a primary is perceived to have an equal shot with everybody else.
We've got to make sure our veteran, Democratic veterans are strengthened and feel like they are fully included.
What is it to be white? It does mean something to be Norwegian. It means something to be Polish or German or Spanish. But 'white' is simply a catchall for 'light-skinned person.' It doesn't really mean anything.
One of the things that will decline over time is the demand that the society or the government bring forth a particularized racial remedy based on a history of deprivation. That will be even more difficult to do in the future.
I believe that Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship are, and should be, key considerations in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East. Americans with roots or interests in the region should be involved in advocacy and discussions of public policy concerning the region.
People like, George Soros, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Paul Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sax, Dean Baker, Robert Poland, Larry Summers have said they all support a transaction tax.
The government has a right - the government and the people of the United States have a right to run the programs of the United States. Health, welfare, housing - all these things.
Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.
Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.
I think it's dangerous to prosecute people for their political views and their political associations. I think you prosecute people for what they do, for their acts.
Those who seek the divine want to make this world a better place, which first requires that we communicate.
Clean air and a healthy climate benefit all of us, but it will take a diverse coalition to step up to the threat posed by unchecked climate change.
I'm not a scholar of Islamic history or jurisprudence or anything.
I think there are real dangers to escalating military conflict with ISIS, and we need to be aware of them. But at the same time, you have to understand, you know, that this whole thing started with Bashar al-Assad and how he is the one who continued to escalate against the people of Syria who were trying to get democratic reform.
We need a strong farm bill that gives assistance to farmers during times of drought, creates markets for local goods, protects our environment, and helps struggling families bridge the gap between hard times and a full dinner table.
I think that anybody who is going to be the standard-bearer, the spokesman for the progressive movement, in the context of a presidential race, has got to learn to master the language and really get their finger on the pulse of how people are feeling. I think that's really important.
There must be something in the water in Minnesota because historically, despite its seemingly homogeneous population, the state has produced some of our more radical political thinkers, and its people have put their prejudices aside to vote for them.
When you're a leader, you cannot ignore parts of your constituency, even if you know they're not going to vote for you.
A Republican philosophy goes something like this: If you take your car to the mechanic, and instead of fixing it, they take out the engine and charge you an arm and a leg, you should conclude that mechanics can't fix cars and you should probably just take yours to the junkyard and sell it for scrap metal.
Vehicle emissions standards directly sparked the development and application of a wide range of automotive technologies that are now found throughout the global automobile market.
If you can make a movie, make one. If you can sing a song, sing it. If you can write a play, write it. If you want to run for office, run. But do something to make this world a better place.
Middle class families should not be forced to scrape by with less while oil companies get away with more.
Americans used to be able to depend on their jobs to provide a stable retirement.
The middle class should not continue to foot the bill for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.
Every now and again, people on the far right take a quote from a progressive out of context and use it to attack them.
We're Americans - in times of crisis, we step up.
Progressive economic policies lead to a sustainable economy.
Progressive policies implemented since the early 1900s launched America into the modern age and created a vibrant middle class.
Republicans profess to be against deficits, but they are experts at creating and exacerbating deficits.
I'm not against T.V. advertising for campaigns, but we need to emphasize field campaigning much more than we do.
People spend money on negative campaigning because it works.
If people want to protest, to get out there and express themselves, as long as they do it peacefully, they should be encouraged to do so.
Democrats need an organizer who will energize the grass-roots across this country to build the party from the bottom up.
I support Israel. And I have long supported a two-state solution and a democratic and secure state for the Jewish people, with a democratic and viable Palestinian state side-by-side in peace and dignity.