John Adams2008

Abigail Adams:
[reading The Federalist Papers] "The reign of Mr. Adams has hitherto been one continued tempest of malignant passions. As president, he has never opened his lips without threatening or scolding. He is a repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, one of the most egregious fools upon the continent, a hideous, hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."

John Adams:
It is beneath the President of the United States to take any notice of insinuations.

Abigail Adams:
In any other country, such filth would have been silenced long ago.

John Adams:
Mr. Hamilton takes equal pains to ensure that he Federalist Paper are filled with scurrilous attacks on Thomas Jefferson and his party.

Abigail Adams:
Think of all the vile falsehoods written about you-continue to be written about you. You may have patiently borne all the slanders, but I have not. "Before it is too late to retrieve our deranged affairs-"

John Adams:
For goodness sake.

Abigail Adams:
"-the people must demand the immediate resignation of old, querulous, bald, blind, crippled, toothless Adams."

[long pause]

John Adams:
I'm not crippled.

Abigail Adams:
I find no amusement in this. Waste of paper and ink.

John Adams:
Waste of time reading it, Abigail. Put it down.

Abigail Adams:
They would not say such a thing about Washington. They would not call George Washington hermaphroditical!

John Adams:
They could call him toothless, though. [John and Abigail laugh]