Charles Kennedy Quotes

I totally accept that it's a legitimate criticism that when you are involved in the day-to-day scrum of government... that what can get lost is the narrative, the hymn sheet... the song that inspires and lifts people's sights.

Part of the problem you have is that you don't have a dialogue between elected officials and their constituents. They've built these barricades, these barriers around themselves and tried to avoid interaction with their constituents.

History shows that there is no more potent engine for reform than the passion of voters who feel betrayed by the politicians they hoped would do the right thing.

Voters tell politicians what they want through the ballot box. Constantly second-guessing them by speculating whether the parties should gang up on each other misses the point.

Part of the game in the first three years is to make sure that during the year the Mayor runs there is an unusually large expansion of services.

You might not be a big fan of politics, but you can still participate. All you need to do is vote for people you believe will work on these issues, and if they don't work the way they should, then it is your responsibility to call them, organize a town hall, and demand that they show up - hold them accountable.

I am honored to have heard from so many voters, supporters, and local elected officials who have been pleased with the work I have done on their behalf. They want and deserve a leader who will aggressively pursue strong conservative policies and get results. That's exactly what I have done.

Memo to White House: Calling voters stupid is not a winning strategy.

Being out and about talking to residents and representing their views is, in my view, as important to politics as the grandstanding that takes place in Westminster.

The fact that the Conservatives are losing voters to UKIP while struggling to attract those who voted for other parties in 2010 suggests they have still not successfully shown what a Conservative government is for. This needs to be done on a broad front in a way that encompasses the economy and public services.

You've got to speak; you've got to be able to articulate the Republican message to the American people and take that fight to the president, but you also have to bridge internally.

To be a statesman, you must first get elected.

For voters what matters is what government actually delivers for them.

I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose interests in good government is less.

What is the primary purpose of a political leader? To build a majority. If voters care about parking lots, then talk about parking lots.

But clearly at the same time you've got to get out there and connect with voters and actually respond to the needs, the frustrations, whatever problems their now saying are not being adequately solved.

Few Americans have ever met their Congresspeople. They don't see them at the grocery store; they don't meet them at the bowling alley. They're more likely to see their representatives in photographs from the Daily Grill in Washington, D.C., than at a local town hall.

If we want to truly regain the public's trust, we can provide greater accountability and transparency with a simple step. Let's start by communicating to our constituents about the votes we take.

If you're a politician and all you care about is staying in office, you're worried about a small group of voters in your district who vote in the primary. If you're a corporation, you need to be much more in synch with public opinion, because you're appealing to people across the spectrum. Ironically, a lot of corporations have to be far more democratic than democratically elected officials.

There is literally no such thing as an idea that cannot be expressed well and articulately to today's voters in 30 seconds.

My job is to reach out to 8 million people whether they voted for me or not.

A Senate seat is a terrible thing to waste.

Almost any member of ours is more effective with his elected representatives than I am.

Politicians must let voters know what they think about issues before the election. Judges should not.

The art of government is to deal with threats before they become overwhelming.