David Brooks Quotes

If in the first group of people who have gathered, unanimity is not achieved, new people shall be added, after which a group equal in number to the Greatest Name or fewer or greater shall be chosen from their midst by lots; whereupon the consultation shall be renewed; whatever is the result shall be obeyed. If the second time opinions again differ, repeat the process a third time. This time obey the majority vote.

The political parties have no role except to stage the conventions, where you celebrate a decision that's already been made elsewhere.

A committee is an animal with four back legs.

Communities don't think, don't believe, don't want, don't have needs, don't have interests and don't make decisions. Only individuals have minds that generate desires and needs - and only individuals can make choices and decisions.

Muddle is the extra unknown personality in any committee.

We always carry out by committee anything in which any one of us alone would be too reasonable to persist.

Important issues do not always split along party lines.

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

Historically, cohesive political parties have been the glue that enables democratic political systems like ours to make the decisions needed to govern.

Deliberation is the work of many men. Action of one alone.

Party is organized opinion.

The vice of our leading parties ... is that they do not plant themselves on the deep and necessary grounds to which they are respectively entitled, but lash themselves to fury in the carrying out of some local and momentary measure, nowise useful to the commonwealth.

Sometimes political parties have a very short window to influence public policy

The mission of parties is to keep the people divided into factions, that they may be unable to do anything for themselves.

No good can come out of sharing responsibility in the cabinet in which the irresponsible elements dominate decisions and policy.

Believing as I do in political parties, I had rather that the party ... should, in its conferences, make a declaration than to assume a leadership or take an individual position on the question.

Because of the term ‘whip’, it is assumed that members can be beaten into submission, but I’ve seldom seen that be successful. It’s getting to know the individual, what they think, how they feel, what’s going on in their personal life, are they agonizers or quick deciders, what kind of leverage can be used with them or on them.

Democracy, in brief, requires government by parties because the citizens are too numerous, too ill-informed and too preoccupied to come together spontaneously to choose the policies and leaders they wish to prevail. Political machinery has to be worked. The parties work it.

Caucus

If everyone in the party has to agree on everything, that’s going to be a very small party.

I am always wary of decisions made hastily. I am always wary of the first decision, that is, the first thing that comes to my mind .... This is usually the wrong thing. I have to wait and assess, … taking the necessary time.

While we recognize … the class origins of political parties we do not reduce every difference between parties to a class difference.

A committee is not a good instrument for final judgment.

A party is no place for a crank. If he cannot compromise and go forward, he should flock alone.

If you give Congress a chance to vote on both sides of an issue, it will always do it.