Joel Benenson Quotes

I'm not saying Obama is right on everything. Of course not. He may be wrong on a number of things. But what I do know is that he behaves like a very, very sane man almost all the time.

Obama and his associates are fantastic campaigners but have little ability or skill to govern.

I learned long ago on the battlefields of Vietnam that in a crisis, there is no substitute for clear-eyed leadership.

In 2008, many Democrats and Republicans believed Hillary Clinton to be a responsible public leader - a firm hand on the wheel, experienced in matters of diplomacy, conflict, and national interest. The 3 A.M. phone call was a question mark with Barack Obama, but not for Hillary Clinton.

Really, people are not a school of fish. Finding the leaders of the future is a question of recognizing those people who give leadership in a crisis.

When you get a big crisis, everyone wants somebody with some experience and some credibility.

American government has usually been pretty good in a crisis and pretty lousy at all other times.

Campaign trains always give me a little feeling of a busy factory, because so many people are busily engaged in turning out ideas to meet different situations as they arrive. If you sit in the President's car and see streams of people go by and hear him ask the inevitable questions:—"How are things in your state; did the drought do much harm; what are you people counting on to help you in your recovery", and then see him picking up everybody's ideas, discarding some, remolding some into his own speeches, you realize that you are really watching an idea factory at work, through which the American people get a picture of the President's thinking, his character, and his plans for the future.

A candidate’s command of foreign policy acts as a proxy for assessing broader leadership abilities.

Obama's extraordinary political skills suggest he is more than capable of rising above any personal historical grudges he may have inherited.

In my experience, I have learned that there is rarely the perfect man for the perfect job, but Reagan was born to play the role of president. He was an inspirational leader when the country really needed it.

Obama has made incredibly poor decisions that have made us less safe.

I do not believe that Obama is smarter than anybody else. I do not believe he has cut a new path and is a politician unlike any we've ever seen regarding his intellect. I don't believe any of this hocus-pocus. I didn't believe it when they said it about Hillary, Smartest Woman in the World.

When there is a crisis, how you handle the crisis is just as important as the crisis.

You've all seen over the last eight years what President Obama means to this country. He is the embodiment of honor, resolve, and character - one of the finest presidents we have ever had.

Whenever the country has faced a crisis, the TDP has played a positive and constructive role.

Where most politicians would have abandoned a supporter like Jeremiah Wright and the community he served, Obama, while strongly criticizing him, did not throw his friend overboard.

I've always been calm, and I'm very good in a crisis.

Donald Trump is a phenomenon. Barack Obama was a phenomenon. A phenomenon is a 'happening' or an 'experience.'

But any squad needs players who are hungry to do well, with their careers ahead of them. That's important for the dynamic of the group, but it also needs a balance of guys who have seen it, done it and have that quality of leadership. It is all about the quality of the player.

I hear from people all the time and it infuriates me that 'President Obama's a brilliant politician.' No he absolutely is not.

When times are good, a CEO should remain poised and composed. When times are difficult, a CEO should remain poised and composed.

Collaborative decision-making is very poor in crises.

There's always going to be a time when there's a difficult period and my responsibility is to manage the players through that. You have to make sure you bring stability back to the club and get where you want to be.

With a crisis as complex as coronavirus, multiple government agencies and departments are involved in responding. There needs to be one qualified and experienced person who will make sure every relevant cabinet secretary, agency director and policy advisor are on the same page - day in and day out.