Matt Taibbi

“Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States. As a representative of our political system, she's a new low in reptilian villainy, the ultimate cynical ma...”

“Amendments occupy a great deal of most legislators' time, particularly those lawmakers in the minority. Members of Congress do author major bills, but more commonly they make minor adjustmen...”

“In reality, everybody in Congress is a stand-in for some kind of lobbyist. In many cases it's difficult to tell whether it's the companies that are lobbying the legislators or whether it's t...”

“In America, it takes about two weeks in the limelight for the whole country to think you've been around for years.”

“America's always had a real passion for lunatic movements. That's one of the things we're probably known for around the world, I would imagine.”

“Once you give an NFL player permission to have thoughts, you invite all kinds of mischief.”

“Obviously the commercial news media tries to get you worked up and terrified so you'll buy products that they're advertising.”

“Over the years, many in the public have become numb to news of financial corruption, partly because too many of these stories involve banker-on-banker crime.”

“I try to be outraged by things that other people are just very accepting of, as though they're normal and can't be changed. A lot of what I write about is, 'Hey, you know, this stuff is real...”

“'Prop trading' is just a fancy term for banks gambling in the market for their own profit.”

“The one thing that I do is take really complicated systems and subjects and make them accessible to regular people.”

“It obviously matters who gets to be president. And it's perfectly valid for us media types to advocate for the candidate we think is more qualified, based on our reporting. But the hype has...”

“In modern American politics, being the right kind of ignorant and entertainingly crazy is like having a big right hand in boxing; you've always got a puncher's chance.”

“The joy of being a consumer is that it doesn't require thought, responsibility, self-awareness or shame: All you have to do is obey the first urge that gurgles up from your stomach. And then...”

“When push comes to shove, we all should know most Americans want the same things, but just disagree on how to get there, which is why it should be okay to not panic if the other party wins.”

“Obviously, people who commit crimes should be punished. Even people who steal socks and 'Snow White' videos should probably do time if they have priors, especially serious priors. But the pu...”

“We love wealth, and we hate poor people. I know people who work in TV news who have actually been told to do stand-ups rather than put interviews with poor people on the air. We physically d...”