Morley Safer Quotes

I believe that [Bill] Clinton is the best tactical politician, certainly in my lifetime.

One must remember that in the '70s, Democrats still grasping for Camelot were desperately pinning their hopes on Teddy while Republicans were doing everything they could politically to turn him into a punch line post-Chappaquiddick. And the idea of Ted Kennedy - rather than the actual man - dominated his political legacy through the early '90s.

I think Karl Rove saw that in George W. Bush early on and understood the impact that he could have on Texas politics and probably on national politics.

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.

This policy and drill [of political parties], first organized by Thomas Jefferson, first accomplish his election, and established the Virginia Dynasty of twenty-four years, a perpetual practical contradiction of its own principles.

Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both had exceptional natural abilities. Nelson Rockefeller was very good statewide but never gained national traction.

There's no better inside player than Nancy Pelosi, and I don't have any animosity towards her.

What's happened is the Republicans have been smart.

Lee Atwater,[Ronald] Reagan's strategist, had no patience for CPAC, because he thought they were sort of wild and immature, basically.

To some extent, the mainstream's absence means the Tea Party is the Republican Party.

The Republicans have a “me too” candidate running on a “yes but” platform, advised by a “has been” staff.

We forget that the most successful statesmen have been professionals. Lincoln was a professional politician.

The Republican Party is not in the hands of the Jewish lobby in America as the Democratic Party must look quite often to Jewish money to finance candidates.

You've got the brain-washed, that's the Democrats, and the brain-dead, that's the Republicans!

I'm not cool with ACORN or the working families' party, or people that vote like democrats and run on Republican lines.

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.

There's no smarter politician out there than Bill Clinton.

I know I'd be an absolutely horrendous politician.

The Democratic party of Florida has put a temperance plank in its platform and the Republican party of every state would nail that plank in their platform if they thought it would carry the election.

Washington is politics! Somehow if people have political objectives, then those objectives are automatically disqualified? If that's the case, the Democrats have no business being legitimized about anything because everything they do is political.

I think the Clintons are brilliant. I've never met a person as intelligent as Bill, and I think Hillary is right up there with him. They're too smart for Washington.

Obama's policies have been approximately the same as Bush's, though there have been some slight differences, but that's not a great surprise. The Democrats supported Bush's policies.

Let me put it this way: I think Republicans tend to keep the ball in play, Democrats go for broke.

It must kill George Bush that John McCain is the most popular and Beloved Republican in America.

The Republican Party would be really smart to absorb as much of the Tea Party movement as possible.