--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democrats can't get elected unless things…" description: "\"Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.\" — Jeane Kirkpatrick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg" --- # Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and… ![“Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.” quote by Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg) > “Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.” [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political power often depends on public dissatisfaction; leaders rise when voters seek change. **In simple terms:** Leaders win when people are unhappy. Key Takeaway Engage when public sentiment shifts. Themes politics leadership public opinion Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - voter outreach - policy reform Key Concepts electoral dynamics political cycles Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders address root causes rather than just capitalize on discontent? - What mechanisms ensure accountability after election? A Different Perspective Success may be fleeting if issues remain unresolved. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats/) ## Related quotes > [For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/for-the-world-is-in-a-bad-state-but-everything-will-become-still/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [I am not running for mayor yet. 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That's the major difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/the-democrats-have-been-there-for-working-people-in-our-country-that/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [We believe that there are aspects of border security that Democrats and Republicans can agree on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/we-believe-that-there-are-aspects-of-border-security-that-democrats/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [I think what Democrats need to do is they need to work for the country and make sure that not only the southern border…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/i-think-what-democrats-need-to-do-is-they-need-to-work-for-the/) [Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [The Democrats said, "We don't know what's wrong with America, but we can fix it." The Republicans said, "There's nothing wrong with America, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-democrats-said-we-don-t-know-what-s-wrong-with-america-but-we-can/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The Democrats in particular are do-nothing guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-george-peterson/the-democrats-in-particular-are-do-nothing-guys/) [Peter George Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-george-peterson/) > [I can't see the Democrats working with Donald Trump on tax reform unless the rich get soaked. The thing about this that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-can-t-see-the-democrats-working-with-donald-trump-on-tax-reform/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## More by Jeane Kirkpatrick > [A doctrine of class war seemed to provide a solution to the problem of poverty to people who know nothing about how wealth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/a-doctrine-of-class-war-seemed-to-provide-a-solution-to-the-problem/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [It was not malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter - and Walter Mondale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-was-not-malaise-we-suffered-from-it-was-jimmy-carter-and-walter/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/when-marxist-dictators-shoot-their-way-into-power-in-central-america/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [That is simply that Marxism has been tremendously fashionable in our time, so it has infected a very large number of major institutions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/that-is-simply-that-marxism-has-been-tremendously-fashionable-in-our/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [There is an absolutely fundamental hostility on the part of totalitarian regimes toward religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/there-is-an-absolutely-fundamental-hostility-on-the-part-of/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Truth, which is important to a scholar, has got to be concrete. And there is nothing more concrete than dealing with babies, burps and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/truth-which-is-important-to-a-scholar-has-got-to-be-concrete-and/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [And I think detente had manifestly failed, and that the pursuit of it was encouraging Soviet expansion and rendering the world more dangerous, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/and-i-think-detente-had-manifestly-failed-and-that-the-pursuit-of-it/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Cultural constraints condition and limit our choices, shaping our characters with their imperatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/cultural-constraints-condition-and-limit-our-choices-shaping-our/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Look, I don't even agree with myself at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/look-i-don-t-even-agree-with-myself-at-times/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [ Decades, if not centuries are normally required for people to acquire the necessary disciplines and habits. 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But that is not all. We are, all of us, also constrained by our time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/all-of-us-confront-limits-of-body-talent-temperament-but-that-is-not/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) [Explore all 53 Jeane Kirkpatrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeane Kirkpatrick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-things-get-worse-and-things-won-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-things-get-worse-and-things-won-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/jeane-kirkpatrick-12763_democracy_democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-thing_2889878.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Democrats can't get elected unless things get worse-and things won't get worse unless they get elected.” — Jeane Kirkpatrick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeane Kirkpatrick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Democrats can't get elected unless things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-things-get-worse-and-things-won-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democrats-can-t-get-elected-unless-things-get-worse-and-things-won-t/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```