Howard Dean Quotes

I have serious doubts about the value of debates in a presidential election. They tend to be a test of reaction time rather than a genuine exposition of the participants' philosophies and programs

Election campaigns always have to have colour and excitement and interest. People want to know about the details of politicians, what they like doing in their spare time, about their families. I think that's human.

I recognize what [political] conventions are all about—a cross between a clambake and a pep rally.

You sell your candidates and your programs the way a business sells its products.

Presidential nomination debates have turned into mud wrestling instead of expositions of the candidates’ views.

Presidential election campaigns offer a unique opportunity to educate the public and engage in an intelligent dialogue on issues of national importance.

Increasingly, campaigns have become narcotics that blur our awareness of problems long enough to elect the lawmakers who must deal with them.

It seems that elections today are more popularity than they are substantial issues.

Arkansas is a state where politics is retail.

I definitely learned about the inner workings of campaigns enough to know that I'm glad that I'm not in politics.

Our original idea was to help three or four hundred candidates in the first election run for the Ohio State legislature and the California legislature around the country.

I just think that the independent voters are going to take their time and look at both candidates.

You know, this is not about endorsements in the primary. We have to get through a primary first.

We don't win or lose elections because of [party] rules.

All presidential elections will ultimately be a fight for the middle.

You've got to lose a few [elections] before you learn what the American system is all about.

Candidates talk about issues that voters want to hear about.

In the absence of formal written platforms, the antecedents of candidates become their platforms. On just such platforms all our earlier and better Presidents were elected.

Look at those Republican [Presidential Primary Nomination] debates. I feel embarrassed as an American when I hear them orate.

Parties perform, to some degree, at least three functions in a democratic government. They recruit candidates, mobilize voters, and assemble power within the formal government.

I would love to say to all Americans: 'Each candidate is going to produce a film of an hour and a half. You're going to watch one from each candidate, and then you're going to vote!'

Primaries are the place where you see whose message is connecting with the largest number of people.

I'm not against T.V. advertising for campaigns, but we need to emphasize field campaigning much more than we do.

Every election is hectic.

Campaigns maybe encourage us to pay attention to attributes that maybe aren't that important in the presidency.