Richard V. Allen Quotes

Every single administration in American political history has put cronies and pals and donors into political positions. But normally those people become the ambassador to Liechtenstein or the deputy undersecretary of commerce.

I would argue that one of the issues which the public should be much more emphatic about with all politicians... is patronage, appointing people to high positions because they supported your campaign or helped you raise money.

Government runs by clout. That's how it runs, by clout.

When you buy a Presidential candidate, you buy his party and you buy 20,000 appointees you never heard of.

Patronage is almost a wicked word. By itself it could well-nigh defeat democracy.

In such a government as ours no man is appointed to an office because he is the fittest for it--nor hardly in any other government--because there are so many connections and dependencies to be studied.

There can be no complete and permanent reform of the civil service until public opinion emancipates congressmen from all control and influence over government patronage ... No proper legislation is to be expected as long as members of Congress are engaged in procuring offices for their constituents

Of the top 10 companies who got contracts from the Iraq war, all of them had contributed to the Republicans and almost all had ex Pentagon admirals and generals on their staffs.

Whenever I form a ministry, the Carleton Club was like the Zoological Gardens at feeding time.

It is a handicap to any man to succeed a member of his own party as President. He has little patronage with which to reward his personal supporters.

Friendship is the most corrupting influence in politics.

Political fealty trumps merit in the administration’s dealing with contractors.

One thing is perfectly clear: We don't need another China crony in the White House!

Paul Ryan hasn't lacked for a job since he left college as the golden child of Wisconsin Republican politics, riding his family connections into a job with then-Senator Bob Kasten.

When it comes to federal elections law, Tom DeLay and his special-interest friends live by one set of rules, and everyone else lives by a very different set.

Crony capitalism is alive and well: the big are bigger, the wealthy are getting wealthier because, with a very large powerful complicated government, which is what we have and which Democrats want more of, only the big, the powerful, the wealthy and the well connected can survive.

The pressure of special interests, the demands of special sections of the state, the needs of friends, all must be subordinated to the good of the people as a whole.

Oh, that all the things my father had told me about how disgusting Washington is are true. And again it's the system - there are lots of nice, well-meaning people there. But it's a sleazy place. And politics is all about doing favors.

I actually never thought that Barack Obama was anything but a typical Democratic party politician, which to me meant that he was probably in bed with Wall Street.

I'm disappointed that Senator DeWine once again chose to go along with his party leaders and their big corporate lobbyist supporters. Ohio deserves a Senator who will be more than a rubber stamp.

What we have now is a situation where politicians get a whole bunch of money from mainly business interests. Then once they hold that office, they spend all their time in office paying back over and over again those campaign contributions through various favors and contracts and that sort of thing.

I'm not part of the friends-and-family club; I'm not part of the pay-to-play club; I'm not looking to get re-elected. I'm not looking to go to another office and fill my campaign coffers. I don't need any friends in Albany except the people of the state.

When you start attacking cronyism and people's political interests, it gets nasty.

That is the Roman way: to give favors to the favorites.

The stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare, and cronyism at their worst.