Rex Hunt Quotes

We always defer … kick the can down the road. The only way you get into trouble in politics is to make choices.

Who is in charge? Is it taxpayers or is it the special interest groups?

It is not an arrogant government that chooses priorities, it's an irresponsible government that fails to choose.

Politics is tricky; it cuts both ways. Every time you make a choice, it has unintended consequences.

Elections have consequences.

By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more.

I don't think we've asked the right questions, the tough questions, at the right time, in Washington.

Leaders respond when they perceive that there will be a political cost of inaction.

There is something wrong with the way in which we make our decisions. The Government listen too much to the pollsters and the party managers. The trouble is that they are not even very good at politics, and they are entering too much into policy decisions. As a result, there is too much short-termism, too much reacting to events, and not enough shaping of events. We give the impression of being in office but not in power. Far too many important decisions are made for 36 hours' publicity.

The great challenge to the White House is that nothing inconsequential every comes there.

The pressure of time, is the overwhelming challenge for policymakers who must act on assessments that cannot be proved at the time and whose mistakes are irretrievable.

What message do we send to America if we impeach Obama and he gets away?

Everything I did in politics affected somebody.

Congress does investigations better than they do anything else.

If you're going to maintain true authorities over a subordinate organization, you have to have some control over policy formulation of that organization and also the resources that are applied to it.

Government is about priorities.

We shouldn't have to pass a bill to find out what's in it.

When we see the corrupting influence of political decision making in our public health professionals, we should ask questions.

I think politics often seems remote, and anything we can do to show more of the workings - how you make the sausage - is useful.

Leadership is important in politics.

Obviously, when you're in your early twenties, you don't think about your decisions and their long term effects.

Mario Ruiz Massieu's resignation places the ball very firmly in Zedillo's court. A key decision he will have to make is whether he is going to govern with, without, or against his own party.

I don't think it's wise to shut down the government.

Any politician can talk about resuscitating public trust.

As a scientist, the starting point is always the facts of the matter, whereas often, in politics, the starting point is how does this play in the next election.