Nelson Rockefeller Quotes

It's not about sizzle for me. I think it's fine. I mean, America made a decision in 2008 to go with a president who did have sizzle.

Kennedy did not have to run the risk of having his ideas and his words shortened and adulterated by a correspondent. This was the television era, not only in campaigning, but in holding the presidency.

Idealism loses to pragmatism when it comes to winning elections.

Character is destiny and character is important to American campaigns.

I don't know much about Americanism, but it's a damn good word with which to carry an election.

It's tough campaigning, kissing hands and shaking babies.

Meanwhile, politics is about getting a candidate in front of the public as a star, politics as rock'n'roll, politics as a movie.

In every election cycle that I can recall, there comes a moment - or a few - where charges of elitism and claims of commonness are wielded by presidential candidates like a sword and shield: 'Vote for me 'cause I'm one of you. It's the other guy who's out of touch.'

Politicians are wither very good at running for office or they are good at running government. Seldom are the two found together.

There is ample evidence that participation in an electoral process forces any party, regardless of ideology, to moderate its position if it wants to attract voters in large numbers.

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

The politician must always tell people what they want to hear.

A most wretched custom is our electioneering and scrambling for office. Misserima omnimo est ambitio honorumque contentio.

We [members of Congress] tend to be gregarious or we tend not to get elected.

waving the bloody shirt

It’s a strange thing in American politics that everyone who runs for office in Washington, runs against Washington.

Without television, Richard Nixon would not have a chance. He would not have a prayer of being elected because the press would not let him get through to the people.

During the last 20 years the advent of radio changed all the old rules of political campaigning( Now the successful advent of television, available for the first time this year in a presidential campaign, must again influence the planning of the campaign

Voters will judge you on what sort of crowd you draw [when making public appearances] both in quality and numbers.

You can't win an election with money alone.

We don't have to do what candidates do—talk about huge issues for 30 seconds in a field somewhere trying to make sure that cows do no urinate on our shoes.

For [Donald] Trump, popularity equals truth... He understands that in American public discourse, it's hard to say the people are wrong.

Momentum has always counted for something, not everything, but it's always perceived as being something that matters in American politics.

There's a lot of work to be done if you're going to run for president or if you're going to run for re-election in a state as big as Florida.

Politicians love to beat up on guys that are seen to be public enemies, if you will. That's a great way to get elected.