Rich Lowry Quotes

Each of the participants [in a Presidential Debate] has a major objective and a minor one, in addition, of course, to appearing presidential. The major one is to get his messages across even if the questions don’t ask for them. The minor one is to avoid seeming unresponsive. That is why you will see the debaters answer some of the questions quickly, leaving time for what the candidate wants to talk about.

I spent four and a half hours debating Donald Trump in three debates, which I think should put to rest any questions about my stamina.

Politicians are actors, too, don't you think? Usually, if you like people and you're outgoing, not a shy little thing, you can do pretty well in politics.

In politics you learn to always smile.

I will focus on being substantive and I will focus on Barack Obama.

Acceptance speeches can make or break presidential candidacies. It was Al Gore's 2000 acceptance speech that relaunched his candidacy and nearly saved him. John Kerry's speech and overall ineffective convention nearly sank him in 2004 (though he was almost saved by the debates).

Al Gore didn't need to distance himself from Bill Clinton when he ran for president in 2000 because, when he ran, the country was in very good shape: strong economically and not at war. He did it anyway, and it was, in many people's estimate, mine included, one of the reasons he lost.

We all know that looks matter, and modern politicians have always assumed that their battles are decided on both substance and image.

I think Clinton fatigue was a real thing. It's just hard to get comfortable with Gore - it was hard for him to project who he is, the person people know in private.

One of the least appealing aspects of modern presidential candidates is that, to avoid saying anything that might prove to be an embarrassing, costly blunder, they cling to a rigid set of talking points that reveal as little as possible about what they really think and who they really are.

I'd make a better U.S. president than George W. Bush. Bush is an idiot. I'm a better public speaker than him. It makes you wonder about the voters.

Ronald Reagan's advisors know that if he goes to sleep for even five minutes during the second debate, he'll be in trouble.

I, of course, am not influenced by the television cameras, but some members are.

If you had let Frannie make you up the night of your debate with Kennedy, you would have been elected President.

Sometimes heads of state have to make statements for [local] public consumption.

If you're in public life, a certain percentage of what you do must be done on television.

It’s not only what you do in politics. It’s what you appear to do.

There is not alternative to speechwriters. You can’t run for president and write your own speeches.

A politician wants to come off as a happy warrior. To be contemplative seems almost effete, fancy – dispiriting somehow to much of your audience. He [Barack Obama] is not afraid to be this way at all.

We don't have to do what candidates do—talk about huge issues for 30 seconds in a field somewhere trying to make sure that cows do no urinate on our shoes.

The way candidates react, immediately and usually involuntarily, while caught by the camera dominates impressions of who has “won” or “list” an encounter [political debate].

As politicians, we're very, very much trained to say something and stick with it.

Politicians love to beat up on guys that are seen to be public enemies, if you will. That's a great way to get elected.

You talk through what exactly happened to Howard Dean on the campaign trail, what Bill Clinton must have lived through, what the daily grind of doing what these people have to do. And they can never lose their temper, they can never be tired, and they can never slip up, or it's on-camera, and it's everywhere - and it's over.

How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty queens - is a question I don't expect ever to be solved.