Tag Archives: Richard Nixon
Rail, Nixon Impersonations, And Advice For Aspiring Lawyers


Zocalo really covered it all with me for a Q&A before my talk on rail last November in Los Angeles. Most relevant for an environmental blog:

Q: What’s the quickest way to dispel climate change deniers?

A: I usually talk about all the positive things, and try to shift the debate away from science—energy independence, the fun of driving an electric vehicle, the fun of kissing your gas station goodbye, more local jobs. I try to go to the positives that we would get in our society if we could switch out of dirty fuels. It’s more disarming the deniers rather than getting in a debate. My basic philosophy is you can never convince anyone of anything.

Since I confessed in the interview to having a Richard Nixon impersonation, this might be a good time to list my top three favorite Nixon quotes:

“You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”

“People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I earned everything I’ve got.”

“When the President does it, that means that it’s not illegal.”

My wife just visited the Nixon Library in Orange County for a research project, and she told me the place has giant Nixon quotes on the wall. None could be as good as these three.