Dick Durbin Quotes

If you run for public office today you must be prepared for a massive invasion of privacy.

If I were to become a politician and people from the opposition criticised me then I will not feel good. So, I stay away from these things.

Politics is a conversation between the contestant and the voter.

For me, running for office is never about trying to destroy an opponent, be it Democratic or Republican. It really ought to be about how can we solve some problems that we're facing.

I was on the campaign trail for 18 months. I never got a question about the District of Columbia in South Carolina.

The legions of reporters who cover politics don't want to quit the clash and thunder of electoral combat for the dry duty of analyzing the federal budget. As a consequence, we have created the perpetual presidential campaign.

American voters have to pay closer attention to politics if they want to avoid four years of whining about the outcome.

It is not through any combinations of politicians that the outcome of an electoral campaign is decided.

Memo to White House: Calling voters stupid is not a winning strategy.

I have decided not to run for president.

I probably enjoy campaigning more than most other people in public office because I like people and I enjoy going out there and telling people what I've done.

To be a statesman, you must first get elected.

Well, I think that those of us in public life that are trying to do a good job, and that are faced with this popular new game that the media has of being critical of everything that anybody in public office does probably are thin-skinned.

When people campaign for positions, they promise people all kinds of things.

Voting is as much an emotional act as it is an intellectual one.

The only people who say worse things about politicians that reporters do are other politicians.

But clearly at the same time you've got to get out there and connect with voters and actually respond to the needs, the frustrations, whatever problems their now saying are not being adequately solved.

As the Republican nominee, it was Romney's job to find a way to speak to some of those groups of voters and offer practical solutions to their difficulties that both resonated with them and sounded plausible to them.

For better or worse, when you're running for mayor, there's a little bit of a spotlight on you.

Nobody understood better than Mr. Lincoln the obvious truth that in politics it does not suffice merely to nominate candidates. Something must also be done to elect them.

Politicians are fond of criticizing others.

I now announce myself as candidate for the Presidency. I anticipate criticism; but however unfavorable I trust that my sincerity will not be called into question.

A political campaign should be an education for both the voters and the candidates.

My New Year's resolution is to make sure I genuflect appropriately before the Chicago media on everything I do.

Every politician higher up than assistant water commissioner knows how to avoid tough questions [from reporters]: Don't answer them.