The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
I think climate change is probably the most extreme, and it's been going on for years because it's very difficult to talk about a planetary issue like climate change and to get people who live within four-year electoral cycles to actually pay attention to something that you predict is happening way in the future.
I very much favor democracy, but when there is a contradiction between democratic and Jewish values, the Jewish and Zionist values are more important.
Holding Congressional hearings is the purview of the majority, and during the first years of the Obama administration, Democrats could not be bothered.
The BJP's decisions are never based on victory and defeat in elections.
The politician in my country seeks votes, affection and respect, in that order.
Cheap medical care is one of the most expensive things there is. So long as politicians can create the illusion of something for nothing, that gets them votes, which is what it is all about, as far as they are concerned.
All politics is local.
Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating.
Lincoln owes a higher duty to the country…than to fritter away the priceless opportunities of the Presidency in listening to the appeals of competing office—hunters.
Lincoln saw all office seekers personally
Donald Trump has a grasp on what's important and what's marginalia.
Because exploration is not science driven, you've got to ask what is it driven by? And it's driven by politics.
I don't think Michael Bloomberg would say that his greatest skill is delivering the speech. He would say he's more of a nuts-and-bolts mayor-picking up the trash, dealing with the school system.
I don't have time to think about my pre-politics days. I am so very busy.
What do you prefer? A prime minister obsessed with being popular, or a prime minister who does the job?
If you have democracy, people will vote for washing machines. They love them.
Politicians and the government have become too interested in short-term gains. Of course, if you look at the direct financial returns in the short term, human space flight is expensive. But they need to look longer term.
A significant fraction of evangelical voters appear more likely to ignore the candidates' specific economic and foreign policy platforms in favor of concerns about gay marriage or abortion.
Old-fashioned values may count when conservatives appear on the stump, but once conservatives are in office the only old-fashioned situation they care to revive is an economic regimen of low wages and lax regulations…. The leaders of the backlash may talk Christ, but they walk corporate. Values may "matter most" to voters, but they always take a backseat to the needs of money once the elections are won
I think maybe the people in elected positions are more interested in preserving their jobs than in doing the best job possible.
I don't care if you are for having Mexico pay for the border wall, or you want to repeal and replace Obamacare, or if you want women to have complete access to reproductive rights - I don't care. The fact is, if you don't get the nuclear issue right, none of the other ones matter.
Liberal activists would often rather be right than be President.
Foreign aid just doesn't have the constituency that domestic programs do.
Whether politicians are dealing with complex policy problems or trying to communicate with the electorate, it makes sense to establish a clear, long term narrative underpinned by forward-looking policies to deliver on its vision.
The Left neither cares about prosperity nor jobs. It cares about equality
