Quotes about politics

“That’s logical. That’s a rational,” Hosea Blackford said. “Politics, unfortunately, is neither.”

Proclaiming they had the answers was the easy part. Really having them, and making them work—that looked harder. That looked a hell of a lot harder to him. But some people would buy castles in the air because they were short of beans on the ground.

What people believe and what they’ll do because they believe it is a big part of what’s real, especially in politics.

Soldiers don’t make policy. We only carry it out, and get blamed when it goes wrong.

“You’re still learning the difference between being an agitator and being a politician. Listen to me, Flora.” He sounded very earnest. “Compromise is not a dirty word.”

“Maybe it should be,” she answered.

Anytime a politician said he wouldn’t beat around the bush, you were well advised to keep your hand on your wallet.

“I must conclude that my views on the subject are also the views of the large majority of the American people.”

That was probably true. Because of it, Flora did not have a good opinion of the political wisdom of the large majority of the American people. Nationalism kept too many from voting their class interests.

War would have been a much simpler, easier business with politics out of the mix.

“Why do we have such a pack of confounded dunderheads running this country?”

“My theory used to be that we get the government we deserve,” Sam said. “Bad as we are, though, I don’t think we’re that bad. Right now, I’m taking a long look at the notion that God hates us.”

“You’re a Democrat, aren’t you general?” somebody asked.

“What sensible man isn’t?” Custer returned.

“Give me two synonyms for ‘idiots,’” Clemens said, and then gave them himself: “‘Fools’ and ‘Republicans.’”

When a politician, which was what the president of the CSA had long since become, said he was personally in sympathy with something, Jackson had learned, he meant the opposite.