Russell Jackson quotes from Madam Secretary

Elizabeth

Well, I can talk to Senator Morejon.

Russell

Anti-immigration champion? Leader of the Squash Elizabeth McCord Club Morejon?

Russell

After getting shot down by Judge Mayfield, my spidey-sense told me something was amiss, so I stopped by his chambers.

Elizabeth

Ooh. Judges love it when you that.

Henry

Lao-tzu said: "An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox."

Russell

What the hell does that mean?

Elizabeth

I came here to see for myself and to help Ambassador Lopez see what's going on behind these walls. What I saw is an affront to decency and an assault on our country's core values. Children separated from their parents, in cages, crying, terrified, lacking basic care. And the governor believes it's a deterrent...

Stevie

Are you seeing this?

Henry

Yup. That's your mom.

Elizabeth

... But it is child abuse. Plain and simple. No deterrent is worth trading our humanity.

That's enough.

Elizabeth

No policy, no matter its goal, is worth lowering our moral standing in the world. Nothing can justify harming children.

Ma'am, you are on state property.

Elizabeth

And the governor wants me to shut up.

Yes.

Elizabeth

But I won't, because what he is doing is immoral and un-American, and every American needs to know about it.

Elizabeth McCord, you are under arrest for criminal trespass in the first degree in violation of section 13...

Russell

No. No!

Elizabeth

Well... if desperate asylum-seekers aren't free from being detained unfairly in this state. Why should I? (while she's being cuffed) Officer Stevens, I'm guessing this isn't how you thought your day would go.

Stevie

Has anything like this ever happened before?

Henry

Not in the United States.

Russell

Not here. Never.

Russell

The crack... team leader. What the hell happened to you?

Jay

Oh, I was playing basket--

Russell

Oh, forget it. I don't care.

We have to end this, even if it means getting in the mud.

Russell

Then I say we go after the man. Directly, personally, take him in.

Jay

Investigate his taxes?

Russell

Don't tempt me.

Russell

You think I'm working against you. I'm not. I work for the President. It's my job to protect him.

Henry

And it's my job to not care what your job is.

I'm not going to tolerate any more Russian expansionism. It's time we had a very tough talk with Syria.

Russell

A country with which we have no diplomatic relations.

Stevie

Do you have a few seconds to approve some more fun posts for social media?

Russell

Oh yeah. The president of Nicaragua is about to start a war and Congress is trying to kill health care for millions of children but Real Russell Jackson wants to post about his latest set of golf clubs!

Well done.

Russell

Indeed. Now we just have to explain why we kept the leadership out of the loop, kidnapped an ally, and interfered with Polish sovereignty.

Russell

Why take her out in broad daylight?

To send a message to other agitators. It's straight out of the autocrat's handbook.

Russell

I didn't realize I was crashing a party.

Mike

You're always on the guest list.

Russell

An article's coming out on the next few days in the Washington Chronicle alleging an intimate relationship between Elizabeth and Conrad during their days at CIA.

Russell

There are protesters in the stands.

Stevie

Can't they leave the politics out of baseball?

Elizabeth

They're just exercising their First Amendment rights.

Russell

The President's job is to lead, not to explain or ask for support.

Elizabeth

When you put it that way, you sound like the patriarchy telling me to do things the way they've always been done.

Russell

If there were no Checkers, there would be no Nixon.

Elizabeth

Actually, that's a good argument for not getting a dog.