Virgil Goode Quotes

Money often determines not only who gets elected, but what gets done. Which voices do lawmakers listen to, the banks or home owners, coal companies, or asthma sufferers, the CEOs or the unemployed?

The first iron rule of American politics is Follow the Money. This explains, oh, about 80 percent of what goes on in Washington.

Anyone who has been around Washington politics long enough can't avoid this truism: Election-year money is like a rushing river that invariably finds cracks in any dam the reformers erect.

Too many people in Washington care about power institutions, not caring about changing the lives of everyday Americans.

Corporations write the legislation. They vote on the legislation. And they give advice on how to pass their bills.

American politicians are responsive almost solely to the interests and desires of their rich constituents and interest groups that primarily represent big business.

Do the elected officials in Washington stand with ordinary Americans - working families, children, the elderly, the poor - or will the extraordinary power of billionaire campaign contributors and Big Money prevail? The American people, by the millions, must send Congress the answer to that question.

But they are not going to take on Big Oil because Big Oil is very generous at campaign time, and this is all about the elections. They want to pretend that they are doing something meaningful.

If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the United States, they are going to own it.

Donald Trump came to a political field that had already been shaped by big money in politics.

That would be the biggest shake-up Washington ever had, if big money didn't dictate who the candidates were and who got elected.

Once I got into politics, I saw the real fight, where big money controls everything, and where politicians care more about campaign contributions than the people they're supposed to represent.

I'm running for Senate to create real change in Washington, which starts with getting big money out of politics and overturning Citizens United.

There's really a fundamental political corruption problem that put Washington completely out of touch with the people.

If money is free speech, the big interests are sitting in front with megaphones and the average citizens are sitting in the back.

Washington is dominated by big money.

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.

Until the public demands otherwise, the policy makers will continue to serve their financiers.

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

Trying to take money out of politics is like trying to take jumping out of basketball.

Money has too big an influence on our politics in Washington and somehow we need to do something about that.

Washington's a cesspool of money.

Public employee unions are hardly the only group involved in bare-knuckles politics. Businesses lobby fiercely, and executives make hefty campaign donations.

I'm not going to take any special interest money or any PAC money... when I get to Washington I want to be the voice for the people of Connecticut and not owe special favors.

Wall Street's outsized influence in our nation's capital is something I've talked about for a long time - long before I even thought about running for office. But where I see a problem - an infestation, really - a lot of others in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans, seem to see government working just fine.