Political consultants are pugilists, masters in the dark art of negativity. Which is why its surprising to hear Democrats such as Steve McMahon and Republicans like Rich Galen urging their presidential candidates to be more, well, positive. – Ron Fournier
The failure of the White House and Congress to seriously address the nations fiscal situation is certain to broaden the belief among many voters that the U.S. political system is broken. – Ron Fournier
Say what you want to say about the rest of his presidency, including his tone-deaf response to Katrina and a war waged in Iraq on false pretenses, Bush connected with Americans in the aftermath of 9/11 because he looked as frail and unforgiving as we felt. – Ron Fournier
Republicans would have preferred the court overturn the health care bill, an act that would have underscored Obamas biggest liability – the perception among voters, including those who like and trust him, that he has been ineffective. – Ron Fournier
In the case of Iraq, notwithstanding the violence there at the moment, the very fact that a hideous regime – responsible for genocide, for the use of chemical and biological weapons, aggression against two neighbors – has been removed in itself is a positive development. – Jose Ramos-Horta
When children are very young, you read them books that are positive to help them go to sleep. But there comes a moment when they begin to understand the difficulties of the world. They know there are problems and the books they read should reflect that, not gloss over them. – Michael Morpurgo