Joseph P. Kennedy Quotes

I could not afford to hang men for votes.

I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.

It is true that power corrupts. The hope at the polling stations and the actions of the elected representatives, unfortunately, often turn to be opposite. The power of ballot turns into the power of wallet. Some law-makers become law-breakers.

William Andrews Clark was caught in a bribery scandal during a campaign for the U.S. Senate - he was said to describe the Montana legislators this way: 'I never bought a man who wasn't for sale.'

No one gives away their vote for free if somebody will pay for it.

I will devote none of my time to developing laws to increase my own patronage and multiply canvassers [electors] in my favor.

If fifty dollars will purchase the vote of one Supervisor, the votes of how many supervisors will three hundred and fifty dollars purchase?

The Reagan people want four more years, but the way they're going some of them will get ten to twenty.

I have heard in highest places the shameless doctrine avowed by men grown old in public office that the true way by which power should be gained in the Republic is to bribe the people with the offices created for their service.

The abuse of buying and selling votes crept in and money began to play an important part in determining elections.

…wealth’s influence on civic elections is still more pernicious. Money is frequently the most forcible logic, and he that carries the longest purse, will often carry the most votes.

Corrupt Bargain

With money we will get partisans, with partisans votes, and with votes money, is the maxim of our political pilferers.

Our supple tribes repress their patriot throats, And ask no questions but the price of votes..

If the presidential nominating process were an international sports competition, one would assume that top officials of both parties were taking envelopes of cash from town chairs in Durham and precinct captains in Waterloo.

Rarely do political contributions lead to direct quid pro quo transactions - donations for votes - and those that cross this line normally get caught.

We've seen a lot of dirty politics in Ireland.

Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.

During the 1937 congressional election campaign, Johnson's group probably paid $5,000 to Elliott Roosevelt, one of Franklin Roosevelt's sons, for a telegram in which Elliott suggested that the Roosevelt family favored Lyndon Johnson.

What people fail to appreciate is that the currency of corruption in elective office is, not money, but votes.

In America, politicians do whatever to get re-elected, and a lot of decisions that were being made at that time by Kennedy were certain not to get him re-elected.

Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.

Our form of democracy is bribery, on the highest scale.

President Johnson had a habit of throwing dollars at a question and the question would disappear.

If Mr. Bush and Mr. Forbes don't get most of the votes, they should be arrested for wasting money.