At least since 1947, the historical record seems to support a simple conclusion: If you want the American economy to grow, you ought to put a Democrat in the Oval Office. – Cass Sunstein
Having a constant productive anxiety doesn’t mean that people are miserable and wailing but that people know they will be held accountable if things do not go right. – Cass Sunstein
Democrats pride themselves on their commitment to science. Citing climate change, they contend that they are the party of truth, while Republicans are ‘denialists.’ But with respect to genetically modified organisms, many Democrats seem indifferent to science, and to be practicing a denialism of their own – perhaps more so than Republicans. – Cass Sunstein
Every human being has an assortment of diverse identities, and it greatly matters which one is triggered by social situations, which hold up different kinds of mirrors. The same is true for nations. – Cass Sunstein
As a matter of history, the Fourteenth Amendment was not understood to ban segregation on the basis of race. – Cass Sunstein
There are some lawyers who think of themselves as basically instruments of whoever their clients are, and they pride themselves on their professional craft. – Cass Sunstein
The only answer to the question ‘Which is the worst of the ‘Star Wars’ movies?’ is, there is no worst ‘Star Wars’ movie. There – one might be the least amazing and fantastic, but there’s none that is the worst of the ‘Star Wars’ movies. – Cass Sunstein
If I may discuss the idea of explosion. The number of regulations issued in the last two years is approximately the same as the number issued in the last two years of the Bush administration. – Cass Sunstein
Today, we are announcing that agencies are releasing their final regulatory reform plans, including hundreds of initiatives that will reduce costs, simplify the system, and eliminate redundancy and inconsistency. – Cass Sunstein
Trump is more performance artist than zealot. But he’s finding enemies everywhere, whether they are judges of Mexican ancestry, parents of those killed in war, the current president, or children of immigrants. Whether or not he has a sense of decency, he is in grave danger of losing it. – Cass Sunstein
As an academic, a great deal of my time is spent writing, with very little in meetings. In government, the premium is placed on figuring things out through discussing them with other people. – Cass Sunstein
On some issues, Republicans and Democrats disagree so sharply that compromise is nearly impossible. Republicans are not going to support a cap-and-trade program to limit greenhouse gases, and Democrats won’t support a 1,000-mile wall on the border with Mexico. – Cass Sunstein
We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now. – Cass Sunstein
If the air quality is terrible in Los Angeles, if a particular university is unusually expensive, if crime is on the rise in Dallas, or if a company has a lot of recalled toys, transparency can spur change. Whenever public or private institutions have to answer to the public, their performance is likely to improve. – Cass Sunstein
Behavioral scientists distinguish between fast thinking and slow thinking. Fast thinking is represented in the mind’s System 1: it is automatic, intuitive, and often emotional. Slow thinking, reflected in System 2, is deliberative and reflective; it likes statistics. It’s hard to think of a purer System 1 candidate than Trump. – Cass Sunstein
The economic analysis of law has had many good ideas. It’s had one great idea -like, world-transforming idea, I think. And the idea is, when you’re stuck, minimize the sum of the costs of decisions and the costs of errors. – Cass Sunstein
Humility is of central importance; I think it’s an underappreciated virtue in the contemporary discussion of law and politics. – Cass Sunstein
There’s a big difference between the role of an academic and the role of someone in government. That’s a cliche, but in academic life if you say things that are common sense and people nod their heads, it’s not very useful. You’re not adding anything. – Cass Sunstein
For business, government, and education, the lesson is clear: People ought to be relying far more on objective information and far less on interviews. They might even want to think about scaling back or cancelling interviews altogether. They’ll save a lot of time – and make better decisions. – Cass Sunstein
Many Americans abhor paternalism. They think that people should be able to go their own way, even if they end up in a ditch. When they run risks, even foolish ones, it isn’t anybody’s business that they do. – Cass Sunstein
I love Richard Thaler’s ‘Quasi Rational Economics.’ A collection of some of his most interesting and inventive essays, the real foundation of behavioral economics. – Cass Sunstein
After a two-term presidency, many young voters seem to want someone who is radically different from, even the opposite of, the commander in chief to whom they have become accustomed. After all, a two-term president will have led their nation for a significant percentage of their lives. That’s boring. Isn’t it time for a transformation? – Cass Sunstein
Donald Trump may not speak explicitly of ‘who we are,’ but with his promise to make America great again, he engages in his own kind of identity politics, signaling that the nation has lost its sense of self. That gets to people. – Cass Sunstein
When government programs aren’t working, those on the Left tend to support more funding, while those on the Right want to scrap them altogether. It is better to ask whether the problem is complexity and poor design. We can solve those problems – sometimes without spending a penny. – Cass Sunstein
Employers, like most people, tend to trust their intuitions. But when employers decide whom to hire, they trust those intuitions far more than they should. – Cass Sunstein
Liberals are sometimes defined as people who can’t take their own side in an argument. – Cass Sunstein
