--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Attacks on a politician's identity…" description: "\"Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's religion, say, or Obama's birthplace - tend to come when an opponent is desperate and can't s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png" --- # Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's… ![“Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's religion, say, or Obama's birthplace - tend to come when an opponent is desperate and can't sell himself.” quote by Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png) > “Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's religion, say, or Obama's birthplace - tend to come when an opponent is desperate and can't sell himself.” [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political attacks on identity arise when candidates feel vulnerable and lack substantive arguments. **In simple terms:** Identity attacks signal desperation. Key Takeaway Focus on policy over personal attacks. Themes politics identity desperation Mood critical skeptical Type political analytical When to use this quote - election cycles - debates - media coverage Key Concepts campaign strategy ethics Questions to Reflect On - Why do voters respond to personal attacks? - How can candidates maintain integrity under pressure? A Different Perspective Such tactics can backfire and erode trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) [Attacks Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks-politician-3087915/) [Birthplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthplace/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/himself/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama/) [Opponent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opponent/) [Opponent Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opponent-desperate-3087919/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politician Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician-identity-3087917/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Questioning Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning-romney-3087916/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romney/) [Romney Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romney-religion-3087918/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tend/) ## Related quotes > [Whatever strengthens our local attachments is favorable both to individual and national character, our home, our birthplace, our native land. Think for a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/whatever-strengthens-our-local-attachments-is-favorable-both-to/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/americanism-is-a-question-of-principle-of-idealism-of-character-it-is/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [England really is the birthplace, the heart and soul of football. If Barcelona had Liverpool's fans, or Arsenal's, or United's, we'd have won 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavi/england-really-is-the-birthplace-the-heart-and-soul-of-football-if/) [Xavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavi/) > [Patriotic?” Will looked smug. “I’ll tell you what’s patriotic,” he said. “In honor of my birthplace, I’ve the dragon of Wales tattooed on my—](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/patriotic-will-looked-smug-i-ll-tell-you-what-s-patriotic-he-said-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Political campaigns are the graveyard of real ideas and the birthplace of empty promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-heinz/political-campaigns-are-the-graveyard-of-real-ideas-and-the/) [Teresa Heinz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-heinz/) > [Truth is the only healthy place from which to speak. Assumption is the birthplace of godless chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/truth-is-the-only-healthy-place-from-which-to-speak-assumption-is-the/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Muslims around the world deserve to see birthplace of Islam represent the ethics of Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/muslims-around-the-world-deserve-to-see-birthplace-of-islam-represent/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [God said to Abraham: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/god-said-to-abraham-get-thee-out-of-thy-country-and-from-thy-kindred/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [“Our place of birth is not so much as important as our place of berth, yet we can't moore. If we do we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amah-lambert/our-place-of-birth-is-not-so-much-as-important-as-our-place-of-berth/) [Amah Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amah-lambert/) > [Vulnerability is not about fear and grief and disappointment; it is the birthplace of everything we're hungry for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/vulnerability-is-not-about-fear-and-grief-and-disappointment-it-is/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [The convergence of the Rhone and Saone. Paul Bocuse. The birthplace of cinema. Chateauneuf-du-Pape just a few miles down the road. It does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-slatkin/the-convergence-of-the-rhone-and-saone-paul-bocuse-the-birthplace-of/) [Leonard Slatkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-slatkin/) > [It’s a Belgian beer, sweetie. Please tell me you’ve at least heard of it. (Blaine) Boy, I was born in Brussels and the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-s-a-belgian-beer-sweetie-please-tell-me-you-ve-at-least-heard-of/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [We are committed to the Common Civil Code, Article 370 and building of a magnificent temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkaiah-naidu/we-are-committed-to-the-common-civil-code-article-370-and-building-of/) [Venkaiah Naidu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkaiah-naidu/) > [I grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Harden County, which is not too far from the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/i-grew-up-in-elizabethtown-kentucky-harden-county-which-is-not-too/) [Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/) > [I wonder what it's like to be from a state that is spread across a few islands way out in the Pacific Ocean, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-wonder-what-it-s-like-to-be-from-a-state-that-is-spread-across-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More by Jon Meacham > [Scripture is not inerrant; believers are called to interpret biblical texts in light of tradition and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/scripture-is-not-inerrant-believers-are-called-to-interpret-biblical/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [We are now living in a post-Roosevelt, post-Reagan universe. What comes next will not be post-partisan, because faction is an intrinsic human impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/we-are-now-living-in-a-post-roosevelt-post-reagan-universe-what-comes/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“his other hand. Sensitive to his guest’s affliction, Churchill realized that “every step” was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/his-other-hand-sensitive-to-his-guest-s-affliction-churchill-realized/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Too many activists have convinced themselves that they have a monopoly on truth. A little humility and a sense of history could move us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/too-many-activists-have-convinced-themselves-that-they-have-a/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [In the fullness of time, I suspect that bigotry against homosexuals will seem as repugnant as racial prejudice does today. Or so one hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/in-the-fullness-of-time-i-suspect-that-bigotry-against-homosexuals/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Mysteries and thrillers are not the same things, though they are literary siblings. Roughly put, I would say the distinction is that mysteries emphasize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/mysteries-and-thrillers-are-not-the-same-things-though-they-are/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“When Lincoln was running for the House of Representatives from Illinois, he was charged with being “a scoffer at religion,” wrote the historian William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/when-lincoln-was-running-for-the-house-of-representatives-from/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“The Man who has not Music in his Soul, Or is not touch’d with Concord of sweet Sounds, Is fit for Treason, Stratagems, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/the-man-who-has-not-music-in-his-soul-or-is-not-touch-d-with-concord/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [I am an Episcopalian who takes the faith of my fathers seriously, and I would, I think, be disheartened if my own young children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/i-am-an-episcopalian-who-takes-the-faith-of-my-fathers-seriously-and/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Only the most unapologetic biblical fundamentalists, for instance, take every biblical injunction literally. If we all took all scripture at the same level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/only-the-most-unapologetic-biblical-fundamentalists-for-instance-take/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“There was, of course, a more immediate point to frequent gatherings of lawmakers, diplomats, and cabinet officers at the president’s table. It tends to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/there-was-of-course-a-more-immediate-point-to-frequent-gatherings-of/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“For Jefferson, William and Mary was largely about what university life is supposed to be about: reading books, enjoying the company of like-minded, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/for-jefferson-william-and-mary-was-largely-about-what-university-life/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [One wonders whether the Obama re-election campaign may be on the right track as it seeks to apply the you-break-it-you-own-it rule to Bush and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/one-wonders-whether-the-obama-re-election-campaign-may-be-on-the/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [Reagan is the Republican FDR, an exemplar of presidential greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/reagan-is-the-republican-fdr-an-exemplar-of-presidential-greatness/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) [Explore all 146 Jon Meacham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) ## More Attacks quotes > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [At sleepovers I would have panic attacks trying to break it to girls that they didn't want to kiss me without outing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/at-sleepovers-i-would-have-panic-attacks-trying-to-break-it-to-girls/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [I knew I was having a panic attack. I hadn't had one in a while, though, and I'd forgotton how it makes me feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-knew-i-was-having-a-panic-attack-i-hadn-t-had-one-in-a-while-though/) [Hemantsmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemantsmarty/) > [We now know that gun-free zones, though well intentioned, do not prevent attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/we-now-know-that-gun-free-zones-though-well-intentioned-do-not/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) > [Weichel hits very hard and is very good with the timing of his attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-freire/weichel-hits-very-hard-and-is-very-good-with-the-timing-of-his-attacks/) [Patricio Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-freire/) > [The wrongful arrest of tens of thousands of British Muslims after the September 11 attacks can be explained by the very poor intelligence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/the-wrongful-arrest-of-tens-of-thousands-of-british-muslims-after-the/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [Mediocrity always attacks excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/mediocrity-always-attacks-excellence/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We can't gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks, if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-gather-the-intelligence-we-need-to-foil-future-attacks-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/less-than-a-year-after-the-sept-11-attacks-al-qaida-attacks-were/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) [Browse all 291 Attacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's religion, say, or Obama's birthplace - tend to come when an opponent is desperate and can't sell himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Meacham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-questioning-romney-s-religion-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attacks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-questioning-romney-s-religion-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/jon-meacham-2863_attacks_attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-quest_2749353.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Attacks on a politician's identity - questioning Romney's religion, say, or Obama's birthplace - tend to…” — Jon Meacham", "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": "Jon Meacham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Attacks on a politician's identity -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-questioning-romney-s-religion-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/attacks-on-a-politician-s-identity-questioning-romney-s-religion-say/#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 } } ] } ```