Max Ehrenfreund Quotes

Money is influential in Congress, but votes will kick money’s ass any time they come up against each other.

And when the guy [politician] says “Yes, I took money, but it didn’t influence my vote”? Oh, come on. The company that’s giving you the money thinks it is going to influence the vote. Why else would they give you the money?

I think members of the legislature, people who have to run for office, know the connection between money and influence on what laws get passed.

Eventually, money wins in politics.

People who think the might in Washington can be persuaded, or corrupted if you will, by anything less than voters just doesn’t understand what its about and never will. They don’t know what Washington juice is made of.

Members of Congress like us for our information, but they love us for our money.

The spree of big money campaigning—and the corruption that goes with it—seems guaranteed to worsen …. Campaign money handlers will keep pushing the limits wherever and however they can—and the integrity of our electoral system will pay the price.

Money is the mother's milk of politics

The only people whose views count in the legislation that passes are those with big money. It doesn’t matter what the great majority of Americans want. Our Congress is bought.

Until we make campaigns affordable, then we're going to have too many members of Congress out rattling the cup with special interest groups.

Politics has become unbelievably and unfortunately way too much about how much money is involved rather than what kind of ideas are involved.

In constant pursuit of money to finance campaigns, the political system is simply unable to function. Its deliberative powers are paralyzed.

We have to get rid of the constant fundraising that happens inside the Congress. Before, political parties used to raise money; now, individual members are raising money through the DCCC and the RCCC. It is absolutely corrupt.

You can't take a congressman to lunch for $25 and buy him a hamburger or a steak or something like that. But you can take him to a fund-raising lunch and not only buy him that steak, but give him $25,000 extra and call it a fund-raiser - and have all the same access and all the same interactions with that congressman.

America has the best congress money can buy.

It is campaign money that calls the tune, a fact recognized by every politician within a few minutes after getting into politics.

It is very important at this juncture to eliminate the influence of big money and special interests in politics.

If you put enough money on the table, Congress will respond to the money.

Something is systemically wrong with Congress today, and it's money, the pursuit of money, the endless pursuit of money, the virtual hourly pursuit of money, either to finance the perpetual campaign or to maintain a certain standard of living.

We have become part-time Senators and full time fund-raisers. Even the schedule of the Senate itself is now arranged around the need to raise money for the next political campaign, rather than around the need to solve the nation's problems and do the people's business.

Special interests and Congress are too closely connected and the ties that bind are the millions spent on campaigns.

Money in politics is like ants in your kitchen. You close all the holes and get them all out or they'll find their way in again.

People correctly perceive that the most powerful thing in Washington is money.

Congressman are spending too much time raising money.

Congress is as addicted to tobacco money as a heavy smoker is to the nicotine in his Marlboros.