James Carville Quotes

Donalt Trump has drained the swamp right into his Cabinet.

America's political system has evolved over the last 50 years in ways that have enhanced the power of business lobbies.

Whether you are on the Right or the Left, everyone can agree that there are a lot of outside influences in American politics that are not good for the system. There's just too much money.

Lobbying, in large part, is conducted to prevent change from happening.

In every developing country, even developed ones, vested interests prevent sectors from being reformed.

The average American doesn't realize how much of the laws are written by lobbyists.

In reality, everybody in Congress is a stand-in for some kind of lobbyist. In many cases it's difficult to tell whether it's the companies that are lobbying the legislators or whether it's the other way around.

In the U.S. you have a system of lobbying and influence on our policy and law makers which is incredibly pronounced. The gas industry spent $250 million getting an exemption from our Safe Water Act. Every one of those dollars is toxic; a contaminant in our political system. It disrupts the normal flow of justice, science, fact and reporting.

Campaign finance and ethics reform only works if it curtails all special interest groups equally and does not carve out any exceptions to benefit one party or another. 'Pay to play' reform was passed to limit the influence of big spending contractors over the public officials from whom they are trying to obtain work.

I'm running for president because I've had enough of the oil barons, the status-quo apologists, the special-interest lobbyists running amok.

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.

The oil and gas lobby, with the vast amount of money at its disposal, is, I believe, the most diabolical influence at work in the nation's capitol. It has for years succeeded in blocking the assignment of public-spirited members to the tax-writing committees of the House and Senate, and also intervened in the election of leaders and assistant leaders in both Houses.

These reforms will not be popular with everybody—especially those who are doing just fine under the present system.

In the absence of a crisis, the status quo in Washington is more or less set in cement, as advocacy groups and turf-conscious government officials are able to thwart change.

Lobbyists and special interests continue to take advantage of loopholes that allow them to host lavish receptions and pay for trips for members of Congress. Those practices represent exactly what's wrong with Washington, and I'm committed to ending them.

You've got to just follow the money [in Washington]. You see it. There's no countervailing power.

The Republican Party has steadfastly sided with its donors and its lobbyists, and this is why we're where we are.

The bottom line is that if politicians weren't in the business of granting favors and exacting tribute, every single issue surrounding campaign finance reform would be irrelevant. After all, why would anyone spend money for influence, access, favors and tribute if the only thing that politicians do is to live up to their oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution?

Barack Obama's large contributor was Goldman Sachs - same thing on the Republican side. If you go to both their conventions, you see the same lobbyists paying off both sides so they win either way.

Pete Wilson deregulated energy as a pay out to Enron, and we blamed Gray Davis.

Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.

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.

Real lobbying reform must end the practice of corporate lobbyists writing our laws.

Wall Street, the banks, and corporate America, has been able to call the shots here. They control our members of Congress and they get what they want.

In Maine, we are fortunate to have a Clean Elections system that allows legislators to turn down corporate special interest money. At the national level, Congress should follow Maine's example by empowering the voices of small donors.