John Delaney Quotes

When I deliver the message to a cross section of Rhode Island that democracy is broken because special interests have relentless power - which prevents politicians from compromising despite popular support on an issue - I don't have any pushback.

What has become clear to many Americans is that the electoral system is bankrupt. As the political process becomes more privatized, outsourced, and overrun with money from corporations and billionaires, a wounded republic is on its death bed, gasping for life.

The American political system is so porous, it's so open, it's so frustrating for those who are trying to make policy.

Politics is broken.

The American House of Representatives today is a complete travesty upon representative government, upon popular government, and upon government by the majority.

I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be.

For all the manufactured 'Republican versus Democrat' drama that dominates today's cable news and political rhetoric, the most striking feature of our present-day democracy is not partisan divide - it's a corrupt system that protects incumbents from the consequences that real democracy brings.

I think our politicians are bought by the highest bidder and that until we clean up our election system, then we cannot make progress on any of the issues. That's what drives me - we must restore our democracy.

The idea of allowing corporations to have unlimited influence on our democracy is very dangerous, obviously.

Until we totally change the way we elect our leaders, until we remove private money from public campaigns, lying will be the de facto method of governance in this country.

The democratic process is supposed to be one person one vote, but it turns out that money is talking louder than the votes.

Whether you are on the Right or the Left, everyone can agree that there are a lot of outside influences in American politics that are not good for the system. There's just too much money.

Billionaires like the Koch brothers, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, and political puppet master Karl Rove should not be able to buy our elections. Secret money should not be able to drown out the voices of the American people and sell our Democracy to the highest bidder.

Five years ago, the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 decision in the Citizens United case told the richest people in America, "You already control the economy of the country. We are now going to let you control the political system as well".

Our democratic system is slowly being corroded and eroded by the influence of PAC money.

The Citizens United decision dramatically intensified the political gridlock in our country.

Billionaires and corporations buy and sell politicians, while citizens struggle to exercise their right to vote or hold their elected representatives to account.

Present day politics is getting murkier by the day.

Here in Maine, we know that the system of special interests influencing elections runs contrary to our democratic values.

In the US, first of all, the electoral system has been almost totally shredded. For a long time it's been pretty much run by private concentrated spending but now it's over the top. Elections increasingly over the years have been [public relations] extravaganzas.

Republicans support opening the floodgates to special interest money and suppressing the right to vote. It's just plain wrong.

Up against the corporate government, voters find themselves asked to choose between look-alike candidates from two parties vying to see who takes the marching orders from their campaign paymasters and their future employers. The money of vested interest nullifies genuine voter choice and trust.

Politics makes me sick.

Without putting the brakes on out-of-control campaign contributions from individuals and corporations - it will be business as usual, with 1 percent of Americans pulling the strings.

The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.