Chris Lehane Quotations

There is no question that this was about 2008 and not about any particular event in January 2006.

Let's remember that in 1992 and 1993, Bill Bradley supported a special-interest tax loophole that was a boondoggle for the pharmaceutical industry and then-Senator Gore voted against that in 1992.

She starts out in an enormously powerful position. Probably 40 percent of the party base is solidly behind her. She taps into an enormous national network.

He's clearly listening to his consultants. His music wasn't playing. This undermines the central presence of his campaign.

His numbers just do not work. His tax cuts benefit just a segment of our society.

He wants someone who can assume the responsibilities of the presidency, if called upon. He wants someone who will be a trusted partner, who will work with him closely. He is looking for someone who will share his philosophy, someone who will fight for the people against the powerful, against big oil, against the prescription drug companies, against the anti-choice forces in this country.

It appears that Governor Bush is marching off in one direction while his key lieutenants are running off in another.

Our policy proposals, when they're analyzed, are responsible, reflect experience and show some real thought.

The Gore campaign wants the will of the people to be reflected accurately and completely, which will be guaranteed by a manual recount, while the Bush campaign is trying to do everything possible to stop that from happening,

Core Democratic constituencies will show up, and the heart and soul of the core Democratic constituencies in California is labor.

Contributing financially to charitable organizations is certainly noble and should be encouraged and is something that the Gores have done when the resources were there. However, to truly judge a person's commitment to helping others, you need to consider what they have done with their lives and how they have spent their time -- and by that standard the Gores are extraordinarily committed.

Even as we speak, they really haven't determined what the tones and right chords are. On the communications level, these story lines get written very quickly. . . . At the end of the day, you just come back to the fact that this is a national disaster and the national government is responsible for handling it.

So much for George W. Bush's moderate makeover. He has rushed from the warm embrace of Bob Jones and straight into the arms of the NRA,

Any Republican presidential candidate who is supporting a risky tax cut that would hurt our children -- especially in areas like Head Start and Title I -- has little credibility talking about education. Sound like the Texas two-step to me.

Al Gore rejects the Bradley approach, which requires seniors to pay $800 in upfront costs before they get a single benefit,

This is a basic crisis communications principle: When you are dealing in a crisis situation, people want to look, see and feel that some type of leadership is being projected.

They say they can't do this, Al Gore says we can do this. He will do right on behalf of the American consumers for a clean environment and affordable reliable energy.

This is the hidden hand of the right wing swooping in to help Texas Governor George Bush.

It's one of the most important organizations representing working people, particularly in the key states of the Midwest.

That's a real choice. The American people will have to choose.

Arnold has clearly made it part of the plan to move more to the center. In an interesting way, he's recognizing that he's running in an essentially blue state. If you're a Republican governor in a blue (Democratic) state, you're ending up in a purple area.

I hope this means Mr. Reich will educate Senator Bradley's team on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security -- all programs that Bradley's agenda threatens to dismantle, imperil or change.

If you tell people what you are going to do, and you suggest it's going to be successful, you need to be successful. Because once you create those expectations and you don't fulfill them, when you already have a significant credibility problem, it just further degrades your credibility.

People evaluate you in terms of how you handle things going forward.

Whether it is spelled Bain and being put out by the Obama campaign or Bane and being out by Hollywood, the narratives are similar: a highly intelligent villain with offshore interests and a past both are seeking to cover up who had a powerful father and is set on pillaging society.

If Democrats speak confidently and with the right tone, it's a win-win. The Republicans have moved so far to the right on this issue ... they've completely opened up the compassionate center for Democrats.

For the last six years the vice president's most important job and responsibility has been to support President Clinton. For that reason he will remain in Washington on Thursday.

The entrenched interests want to protect the status quo, and the apologists for those interests want to say they can't have effective energy and clean air at the same time,