J. B. Jones Quotes

Lyndon Johnson might have been the greatest vote counter ever in Congress, not because of his math skills but because of his unrivaled ability to read his fellow politicians and his utter ruthlessness in using what he knew.

Failure in the management of practical affairs seems to be a qualification for success in the management of public affairs.

I think that people like Bloomberg, they're complete thugs. No question about it. But on the other hand, it must be said that they are politically savvy. They don't get into those positions of power - in the case of Bloomberg, both economic and political power - by being anybody's fool.

The kind of thing I'm good at is knowing every politician in the state and remembering where he itches. And I know where to scratch him.

Crafty politician that he is, Obama was smart enough to set low enough standards for his administration to claim 'victory' by the summer of 2011 or so.

First and foremost, when I think of him - I'm prejudiced; I worked for the guy for six and a half years - when I think of him, I think of him first and foremost as an idea politician.

I do not believe I have the mental attitude or the politician's manner ... I am too sensitive to political mud.

If you're in politics and you can't tell when you walk into a room who's for you and who's against you, then you're in the wrong line of work.

You're going to find that, intellectually, the [governors] as a whole are a cut or two above what they were 10 or 20 years ago.

The people can never understand why the President does not use his powers to make them behave. Well all the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.

A Prince who will not undergo the Difficulty of Understanding, must undergo the Danger of Trusting.

[There is] a type of which he [Theodore Roosevelt] is perhaps the master specimen—the politician who could not help being one if he tried…. when Mr. Roosevelt takes a step which the mass of his fellow citizens regard as carefully considered for its political effect, the chances are at least even that he is merely obeying a natural impulse, which may make for either strength or weakness.

I saw Mr. Lincoln a number of times during the canvass for his second election. The characteristic which struck me most was his superabundance of common sense. His power of managing men, of deciding and avoiding difficult questions, surpassed that of any man I ever met.

No particular prior experience—not business or academia, or think tanks, or law—suggests that an individual will master the bureaucratic politics of Washington DC.

The men who have led the House, whose names have become a splendid tradition to their successors, have gained prominence not through luck or by mere accident. They have had ability, at least in some degree; but more than that, they have had character.

With a glance, a nod, and a few words, without consulting anyone other than the President, the brothers could mobilize the full power of the United States anywhere in the world.

… the most sophisticated politician in the country … familiar with every subterranean channel of politics … the most cunning in the devious ways of politics … the most artful politician in the tricks of the craft

It is not true that Trump is nobody's fool. He is the GOP's.

If 2016 taught us anything, it's that President Trump's political prowess should not be discounted or underestimated.

I have my opinions but to go into politics you have to be very clever, which I'm not!

Rayburn was one of the most powerful men in national life. If he were not from Texas, he could have been President … He was a powerhouse!

Clinton was the most formidable politician I have ever encountered.

There is something wrong with the way in which we make our decisions. The Government listen too much to the pollsters and the party managers. The trouble is that they are not even very good at politics, and they are entering too much into policy decisions. As a result, there is too much short-termism, too much reacting to events, and not enough shaping of events. We give the impression of being in office but not in power. Far too many important decisions are made for 36 hours' publicity.

There's nothing in politics that's worse than being caught unaware.

There may be one fault in a man that conceals a thousand qualities, or one excellence that conceals a thousand faults. The little indicates much.