Jack Germond Quotes

My liberal friends are such a bunch soft-headed, politically correct jerks ...

Most of the good people of my generation ... had offers to become editors, but the thought of going inside was just absolutely horrifying.

Candidates should be extremely cautious in displaying a sense of humor. If he or she tells a joke with a point, there is almost certain to be some minority group offended.

Attack politics costs us dearly in terms of insight into the candidates. In a presidential campaign, the focus is so tight that the politicians are afraid to say anything that hasn't been scripted.

Everyone I know thinks television is the most important part of my life. I did it for the money! I was able to send my daughter to college.

For those of us who spent our careers competing with David Broder, the hardest thing to abide was the inevitable comparison. If someone said Jack Germond - or Jules Witcover or Walter Mears or whoever - 'is a pretty good political reporter,' the default response would be, 'but he's no David Broder.'

I really found this campaign odious. I couldn't get up for it. The quality of the candidates and the campaign, I just found the whole thing second-rate. I didn't know how to explain to my granddaughter that I was spending my dotage writing about Al Gore and George W. Bush.

Mo Udall didn't want the presidency bad enough. He was too sane. He was a marvelous guy, but you had the feeling there was another Udall outside his body watching the candidate Udall who was too extravagant, telling him to cut it out.

Rather than fretting about IQ scores, voters should try to determine what candidates read - other than the Bible, which they all say they read - and the kind of people with whom they spend their time.

I loved politics and, I confess, I enjoyed politicians immensely.

I have always argued that newspapers should not have any civic purpose beyond telling readers what is happening ... A reporter who doesn't quickly tell readers what they most want to know - the score - won't last long. Better he should teach political science.

I have been an atheist my entire adult life. I do not proselytize, however. Nor do I question the faith of others. I just don't want to be obliged to accept someone else's faith as a factor in my government.

The secret of doing well on TV is to understand that it's not too important. A lot of people watching doesn't change anything.

Spend hundreds of millions; talk endlessly about issues; present 12-point plans for education, the economy, and the environment. But in the end, the election of our next president can turn on a gaffe.