--- title: "12 Thinking Quotes By George Packer" description: "12 Thinking quotes by George Packer. Plus more from George Packer and more Thinking sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png" --- > [I think it's important for Americans to try to understand each other a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to-try-to-understand-each-other/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png) > [I do think Donald Trump would be a catastrophic turn in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catastrophic-turn-in-american/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/george-packer-2917_american-history_i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catas_1856628.png) > [I don't think of Hillary Clinton as a bad choice. She's an uninspiring choice. She is a deeply imperfect choice, largely for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-bad-choice-she-s-an-uninspiring/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/george-packer-2917_bad-choices_i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-ba_2086033.jpg) > [I think that bias is not a fixed thing. It's not as though some people are biased and others are not. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-it-s-not-as-though-some-people/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/george-packer-2917_bias_i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-i_1672042.jpg) > [I will find any excuse to go into somebody's study or ask them what they are reading. I can't think of too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebody-s-study-or-ask-them-what/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/george-packer-2917_asks_i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebo_2048097.png) > [I think in the '50s, the percentage of Americans employed by the private sector who were in unions was above 30 percent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-americans-employed-by-the/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/george-packer-2917_class_i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-ame_1031300.png) > [It's kind of funny to read the work of ex-Marines and soldiers because what they said to me as a reporter was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-ex-marines-and-soldiers/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/george-packer-2917_exes_it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-e_1805760.jpg) > [I would caution anyone who thinks the solution is to get out to realize that Iraq will be our problem, whether we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-solution-is-to-get-out-to/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/george-packer-2917_caution_i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-so_1742994.jpg) > [The Petraeus-Crocker testimony is the kind of short-lived event on which the Administration has relied to shore up support for the war:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-kind-of-short-lived-event-on/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/caf/george-packer-2917_accomplished_the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-ki_2162729.png) > [In a sense, whites who were always sort of the unthinking majority who didn't think of themselves necessarily as one among many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-of-the-unthinking-majority-who/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/george-packer-2917_becoming_in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-o_753632.png) > [Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare state, and most Democrats agreed with the logic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-republicans-in-washington-accepted/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png) > [The biggest issue for me is whether large numbers of Americans can begin to think that government can actually help make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-large-numbers-of-americans-can/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/george-packer-2917_achieve_the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-larg_2032805.jpg) ## Other authors on Thinking - 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[ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-cassandra-clare-21529.jpg) Cassandra Clare 184 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/cassandra-clare/) - [Ralph Waldo Emerson 161 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/ralph-waldo-emerson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-noam-chomsky-71799.jpg) Noam Chomsky 161 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/noam-chomsky/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b003/author-albert-einstein-10494.jpg) Albert Einstein 146 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/albert-einstein/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-sherrilyn-kenyon-84925.jpg) Sherrilyn Kenyon 143 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/sherrilyn-kenyon/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b023/author-taylor-swift-89132.jpg) Taylor Swift 137 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/taylor-swift/) ## More by George Packer > [I don't think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-they-need-to-be-nice-to-reporters-but-the-white-house/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [So many writers grew up in tortured isolation, in revolt against their families. I and my sister were in a house where writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/so-many-writers-grew-up-in-tortured-isolation-in-revolt-against-their/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Afghanistan can't police its borders, and its neighbors give sanctuary and assistance to insurgents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/afghanistan-can-t-police-its-borders-and-its-neighbors-give-sanctuary/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Hillary Clinton's such a classic Democratic political figure and believes so much in institutions and in gradualism in the old way of reaching compromises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/hillary-clinton-s-such-a-classic-democratic-political-figure-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [“In other words, Foxx represented what Sarah Palin (speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Greensboro three weeks before the election) called “the real America,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-other-words-foxx-represented-what-sarah-palin-speaking-at-a/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [America's vast population of working poor can only get so poor before even Walmart is out of reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/america-s-vast-population-of-working-poor-can-only-get-so-poor-before/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [The Olympics are never just about sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-olympics-are-never-just-about-sports/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > ['The Assassins' Gate' is a very tightly controlled story of the ideas that led to the war and the consequences of those ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-assassins-gate-is-a-very-tightly-controlled-story-of-the-ideas/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Amazon's identity and goals are never clear and always fluid, which makes the company destabilizing and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/amazon-s-identity-and-goals-are-never-clear-and-always-fluid-which/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Ideology knows the answer before the question has been asked. Principles are something different: a set of values that have to be adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/ideology-knows-the-answer-before-the-question-has-been-asked/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Everything seems set up for success in digital journalism - money, eyeballs, software, brands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/everything-seems-set-up-for-success-in-digital-journalism-money/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Climate change joined immigration, job creation, food safety, pilot training, veterans' care, campaign finance, transportation security, labor law, mine safety, wildfire management, and scores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/climate-change-joined-immigration-job-creation-food-safety-pilot/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Much of the international unease with the Sochi Games has focused on the threat of terrorism, Putin's domestic repressiveness, and the Russian campaign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/much-of-the-international-unease-with-the-sochi-games-has-focused-on/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [I've been interested in American politics since I was eight. That was in 1968. It was an interesting year. I was a huge Eugene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-ve-been-interested-in-american-politics-since-i-was-eight-that-was/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [When I interviewed Paul Bremer in his office, he had almost no books on his shelves. He had a couple of management books, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/when-i-interviewed-paul-bremer-in-his-office-he-had-almost-no-books/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/george-packer/#itemlist", "name": "12 Thinking Quotes By George Packer", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's important for Americans to try to understand each other a little better.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to-try-to-understand-each-other/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it's important for Americans to try to understand each other a little better.” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do think Donald Trump would be a catastrophic turn in American history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catastrophic-turn-in-american/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/george-packer-2917_american-history_i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catas_1856628.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/george-packer-2917_american-history_i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catas_1856628.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/george-packer-2917_american-history_i-do-think-donald-trump-would-be-a-catas_1856628.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do think Donald Trump would be a catastrophic turn in American history.” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think of Hillary Clinton as a bad choice. She's an uninspiring choice. She is a deeply imperfect choice, largely for reasons of her own tendency to get into a defensive crouch and create greater problems for herself and the rest of us by refusing to have a transparent reckoning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-bad-choice-she-s-an-uninspiring/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/george-packer-2917_bad-choices_i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-ba_2086033.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/george-packer-2917_bad-choices_i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-ba_2086033.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/george-packer-2917_bad-choices_i-don-t-think-of-hillary-clinton-as-a-ba_2086033.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think of Hillary Clinton as a bad choice. She's an uninspiring choice. She is a deeply imperfect…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that bias is not a fixed thing. It's not as though some people are biased and others are not. It ebbs and flows. It can be manipulated. It changes according to a person's circumstances.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-it-s-not-as-though-some-people/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/george-packer-2917_bias_i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-i_1672042.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/george-packer-2917_bias_i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-i_1672042.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/george-packer-2917_bias_i-think-that-bias-is-not-a-fixed-thing-i_1672042.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that bias is not a fixed thing. It's not as though some people are biased and others are not. It…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I will find any excuse to go into somebody's study or ask them what they are reading. I can't think of too many other things that say what goes on in someone's head than the books they have.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebody-s-study-or-ask-them-what/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/george-packer-2917_asks_i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebo_2048097.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/george-packer-2917_asks_i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebo_2048097.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/george-packer-2917_asks_i-will-find-any-excuse-to-go-into-somebo_2048097.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I will find any excuse to go into somebody's study or ask them what they are reading. I can't think of too…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think in the '50s, the percentage of Americans employed by the private sector who were in unions was above 30 percent. And now it's in the single digits, so it plummeted. And with the plummeting of unions came the weakening of an organized working-class voice in politics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-americans-employed-by-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/george-packer-2917_class_i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-ame_1031300.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/george-packer-2917_class_i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-ame_1031300.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/george-packer-2917_class_i-think-in-the-50s-the-percentage-of-ame_1031300.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think in the '50s, the percentage of Americans employed by the private sector who were in unions was above…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's kind of funny to read the work of ex-Marines and soldiers because what they said to me as a reporter was only a fraction of what they were thinking and feeling and saying to one another.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-ex-marines-and-soldiers/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/george-packer-2917_exes_it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-e_1805760.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/george-packer-2917_exes_it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-e_1805760.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/george-packer-2917_exes_it-s-kind-of-funny-to-read-the-work-of-e_1805760.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's kind of funny to read the work of ex-Marines and soldiers because what they said to me as a reporter…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would caution anyone who thinks the solution is to get out to realize that Iraq will be our problem, whether we're there or not, for years to come. It will not be Vietnam; it will not let us go home and lick our wounds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-solution-is-to-get-out-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/george-packer-2917_caution_i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-so_1742994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/george-packer-2917_caution_i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-so_1742994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/george-packer-2917_caution_i-would-caution-anyone-who-thinks-the-so_1742994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would caution anyone who thinks the solution is to get out to realize that Iraq will be our problem…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Petraeus-Crocker testimony is the kind of short-lived event on which the Administration has relied to shore up support for the war: the 'Mission Accomplished' declaration, the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein, Saddam's capture, the transfer of sovereignty, the three rounds of voting, the Plan for Victory, the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Every new milestone, however illusory, allows the Administration to avoid thinking ahead, to the years when the mistakes of Iraq will continue to haunt the U.S.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-kind-of-short-lived-event-on/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/caf/george-packer-2917_accomplished_the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-ki_2162729.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/caf/george-packer-2917_accomplished_the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-ki_2162729.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/caf/george-packer-2917_accomplished_the-petraeus-crocker-testimony-is-the-ki_2162729.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Petraeus-Crocker testimony is the kind of short-lived event on which the Administration has relied to…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a sense, whites who were always sort of the unthinking majority who didn't think of themselves necessarily as one among many interest groups but is simply the dominant group, now as whites become - are close to becoming a minority of Americans, are becoming a political interest group. And that's what Donald Trump is playing to. And it's a really dangerous, volatile game.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-of-the-unthinking-majority-who/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/george-packer-2917_becoming_in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-o_753632.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/george-packer-2917_becoming_in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-o_753632.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/george-packer-2917_becoming_in-a-sense-whites-who-were-always-sort-o_753632.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In a sense, whites who were always sort of the unthinking majority who didn't think of themselves…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare state, and most Democrats agreed with the logic of the Cold War. Despite the passions over various issues, government functioned pretty well. Legislators routinely crossed party lines when they voted, and when they drank; filibusters in the Senate were reserved for the biggest bills; think tanks produced independent research, not partisan talking points. The \"D.\" or \"R.\" after a politician's name did not tell you what he thought about everything, or everything you thought about him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-republicans-in-washington-accepted/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The biggest issue for me is whether large numbers of Americans can begin to think that government can actually help make the country a fairer place. And that's partly a matter of policies that achieve results in terms of reducing inequality and raising middle-class and working-class incomes, which have been flat for decades. But it's also symbolic and rhetorical, it's whether Hillary Clinton can - or whoever's president - can persuade Americans that it's happening and that they can begin to trust their elected officials a little bit more and their institutions of government a little bit more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-large-numbers-of-americans-can/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/george-packer-2917_achieve_the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-larg_2032805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/george-packer-2917_achieve_the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-larg_2032805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/george-packer-2917_achieve_the-biggest-issue-for-me-is-whether-larg_2032805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The biggest issue for me is whether large numbers of Americans can begin to think that government can…” — George Packer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/george-packer/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/george-packer/", "name": "Thinking Quotes by George Packer", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/george-packer/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/george-packer-2917_america_i-think-it-s-important-for-americans-to_1375892.png" }, "description": "12 Thinking quotes by George Packer. 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