Jorge Ramos Quotes

Bringing accountability to Washington has been an important part of my time in office and an important part of my campaign.

Washington is like playing the Super Bowl, only there are no timeouts, no potty breaks, and the arena is filled with the media. In government, you have to learn to put yourself second in a big way. But I am a business person at heart. I like to be in charge.

I am not on trial here, Mr. Chairman. This committee is on trial here before the American people. Let us get that straight.

Good ideas are the backbone of good government.

Ever since I arrived in Washington in April 2009, I have been fighting for more transparency and accountability in government.

No prime minister, no government can expect to be unanswerable or unchallenged.

We consistently allow politicians to get away with playing identity politics rather than demanding evidence of what they're going to do and how they're going to do it.

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.

I think I can regard myself as a political decision-maker.

It's time for an American comeback... where leaders in Washington listen to 'we the people.'

There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency.

This man called President Bush has a lot to answer for. I don't know if this man is really taking care of America. This government has been shameful.

Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.

I think Barack Obama has brought a new level of ethical standards to Washington. Has he changed some basic hard-knuckle politics? No. You need hard-knuckle politics to succeed.

We need to ask our policy makers and those we elect to office who are supposed to make decisions to give us the evidence of the facts that are behind the decisions that we make. We should be skeptical.

Using cold facts and figures, leaders throughout the West must become more transparent with their citizens in explaining their decisions and their choices in global markets.

I think the record shows that as Speaker, I have taken the lead in cleaning up politics.

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

Good government is good politics.

As far as the constitution allows me, I will try to ensure that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.

I'm the only honest person in Washington.

In Washington, task forces work like Tylenol: they reduce the symptoms of scandal while leaving the substance untouched.

I don't think that Washington is a fundamentally bad or corrupt place.

If you spend enough time in or around Washington, you'll meet amazing people who work for the government.

Public agencies should be criticized.