Political Networking Quotes

The Bohemian Grove, which I attend from time to time - it is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine.

If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

When you go to a political convention, the best place to spend time is at the numerous parties put on by lobbyists. And you don't go for food. You go to beg for money.

I've been intrigued by politics my whole life. And, yes, I am very close to the Clintons. I was a Hillary person until I was an Obama person. And she was a Hillary person, too, until she was an Obama one, evidently.

I've been through several of his campaigns, and I can tell you nobody can out-campaign Rick Perry.

About 70 percent of the district was new. It was a short amount of time to get to know hundreds and thousands of people. But with the help and support of old friends, we built a grassroots operation organically from the ground up.

Presidents ... become hermits only at their peril. Running the executive branch is now a team sport. It is operated best by politicians who thrive on command, possess a fine and sure touch for the levers of power and enjoy the company of those who serve them.

I don't have to be in politics.

[On political campaigns:] Get an elbow, give an elbow.

It will help your campaign tremendously to have the energy of young people on your side to canvas voters, gain supporters, spread news, and make you look good.

I honestly think that Donald Trump's only adviser is his doorman.

In Washington, every closet has a revolving door.

If you're a Texas Supreme Court Justice hopscotching across 254 counties, trying to tattoo your name onto the noggins of millions of voters, you must find creative ways to raise visibility and build awareness. Twitter, Facebook, etc. are low-cost but high-yield ways to leverage the support of key influencers and opinion leaders.

The Presidents who have gone to Washington without first having held some national office have been at great disadvantage. It takes them a long time to become acquainted with the Federal office-holders and the Federal Government.

It's very interesting how Washington works. It's not about speeches. It's about relationships.

Politics are now nothing more than the means of rising in the world.

I've owned a business for 26 years. My family isn't in politics and my supporters aren't special interest groups in Madison and Milwaukee.

Anyone who gets to the top in politics is a control freak.

The Democratic Party of California is ready to sponsor me. All I have to do is find the right office to run for.

In running for Congress, you have to raise over $2 million. You are going to end up shaking hands with people with whom you would rather not shake hands. 95 percent of all the candidates with the most money, win.

Ralph Reed is deeply ambitious and always was so. There was a time when he... in one of my interviews, he said he pondered running the Ross Perot campaign, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do the Christian Right thing; he was worried that it boxed him into a corner.

A senator will come off Capitol Hill and they'll be barred from two years from lobbying in the Senate. So they'll pick the phone up and they'll call their buddy, the senator, their old buddies, and they'll say, 'Listen, I'm here at this law firm now. I can't lobby you, but my new partner, Jack, can lobby you.'

I knew Barack Obama, absolutely. And I knew him probably as well as thousands of other Chicagoans.

Running for office is not easy. It's not enough to want it.

I think fundraising has a lot to do with political viability.