Francis E. Leupp Quotes

Lyndon Johnson might have been the greatest vote counter ever in Congress, not because of his math skills but because of his unrivaled ability to read his fellow politicians and his utter ruthlessness in using what he knew.

If you're in politics and you can't tell when you walk into a room who's for you and who's against you, then you're in the wrong line of work.

A politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to the ground.

The essential ingredient of politics is timing.

The kind of thing I'm good at is knowing every politician in the state and remembering where he itches. And I know where to scratch him.

He has the best political mind of all the generals I have.

You don’t become a statesman unless you are first a good politician.

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

Mr. [Judah P.] Benjamin, unquestionably, will have great influence with the President [Jefferson Davis], for he has studied his character most carefully. He will be familiar not only with his "likes" but especially his "dislikes.

Clinton was the most formidable politician I have ever encountered.

… the most sophisticated politician in the country … familiar with every subterranean channel of politics … the most cunning in the devious ways of politics … the most artful politician in the tricks of the craft

I'm not clever enough to be in machinations and real politics.

People may have their opinions about Senator Helms, but he was highly effective and he took care of his constituency. I learned all those lessons from him, and I bring a great deal to the table because of that.

You can gain in your effectiveness as a politician from a wide acquaintance with the world and from a degree of independence that having some outside interests gives.

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.

I think Democrats are always challenged to have a unified message, and it's in part because our strength is our diversity as a party, but our weakness is also the fact that because we're so diverse, we have a hard time getting on one page on message.

The Republicans learned well from Bill Clinton.

Often dismissed or underestimated by political opponents, President Reagan had the most valuable weapon in the political arsenal: a bond with the people.

In the end, I think part of my problem was that I was a better legislator than I was a politician.

President Lincoln is timid, vacillating, and inefficient.

Politicians are never going to turn this country around. Our country's a mess. The politicians are going to destroy this country. They're weak and they're ineffective.

The single biggest weakness that politicians have as a group is that they want people to like them.

If politicians are good copy, I like them. If not, I don’t care about them.

Well, the mad Roosevelt has a new achievement to his credit. He succeeded in defeating the party that furnished him a job for nearly all of his manhood days after leaving the ranch, and showed his gratitude for the presidency, at that party's hands. The eminent fakir can now turn to raising hell, his specialty, along other lines.

You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner