Evan Bayh Quotes

Adversity in politics does not encourage cohesiveness, it seems. Deprived of the fruits of power, a national political party seems to break down into regional or other factions. Unity can only be regained by victory—yet victory is forestalled by disunity.

The labour Party has lost the last four elections. If they lose another, they get to keep the liberal party.

I think the Democratic Party realizes, having lost two presidential elections, we need to do a better job of creating a farm team.

[Ideological] Purity is fine but it doesn’t win elections and is not a governing strategy. Compromise is required.

… the truth is Walter Mondale in 1984 had a perfectly unified campaign — every interest group was behind him …. In party politics, unity is very much overrated.

I think if people thought we were just like the other parties and would ditch our policies at the first moment we thought we wouldn't get a majority, then we'd become just like all the other parties.

If Dems don't stick together, we're going to lose.

I don't write off any political party. I believe in strengthening the BJP and winning elections and not depend on writing off parties.

Mitt Romney is a nice guy. But, we know where nice guys finish in politics.

I am getting frustrated by the fact that we have been out of office for eight years. I desperately want to lead the Conservative Party to make quicker progress back into power.

People’s Party.

To be a party you have to have a national message.

It hurts to lose an election.

You win elections with coalitions. You don't win elections by ideologically cleansing your party.

After his reelection defeat [for Governor of Massachusetts] Dukakis had an empathy transplant. He emerged a more humane man, a person more amenable to the give-and-take of politics.

If the Democratic Party is to win in November, it will have to fly with both its wings—the liberal and the conservative.

The retiring head of the minority wing of a divided party that had been repudiated at the polls.

Politicians are ready to suspend their beliefs or policy positions in the name of electoral success. When belief collides with public opinion, belief often goes.

One of the reasons that I did not win reelection, was that I was unable to hold the Democratic Party together.

… triangulation is the idea that you demonstrate to some set of swing voters that you are politically palatable by poking the extremes of both parties in the eye.

Major parties have lived more for patronage than principles; their goal has been to bind together a sufficiently large coalition of diverse interests to get into power; and once in power, to arrange sufficiently satisfactory compromises of interest to remain there.

We have lost the elections; and it is natural that each of us will believe, and say, it has been because his peculiar views was not made sufficiently prominent.

Honey, there go 20 million votes, but we’ll get over it.

Romney had his chance. He should have won. He choked.

Me and Nitish finished off the BJP in Bihar, and now it is the turn to do so in UP.