Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Greenfieldis an American television journalist and author...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth10 June 1943
CountryUnited States of America
Jeff Greenfield quotes about
asking change count enduring myths number numbers voters
One of the enduring myths of campaign analysis is that you can actually count the number of 'undecided' voters by asking voters if they are undecided or not. Sometimes, significant numbers of voters actually change their minds.
abc alpha asking backward call dog famous mentoring minutes obscure piece problem remind saw script
He'd call you and say he had a problem with your script 45 minutes before you were going on the air. Part of it was to remind you who the alpha dog was, but he also saw it as a mentoring thing. If you're going to get your piece on ABC News, you had better know your story backward and forward. That's why he was famous for asking obscure questions.
barack both candidate financing flat general john pledge primary public reject saw spite vastly
Remember, the first presidential candidate to reject public financing for both the primary and general election was... Barack Obama, in 2008. He did it, in spite of a flat pledge to the contrary, because his campaign saw that it could vastly outspend John McCain.
connection create discordant experience image leadership life moving necessary political skills team
There is something discordant about a team of speechwriters and political operatives hammering away to create an image of the 'real, inner' candidate. And, to be blunt, there is no necessary connection between a moving life experience and the skills necessary for leadership.
bush chose clear george gop liberal moderate reagan running signal welcomed
When Ronald Reagan chose George H.W. Bush in 1980, it was a clear signal that he was running an inclusive campaign; that he welcomed the moderate and even liberal wings of the GOP - there was a liberal wing back then - into his campaign.
defeat victory
Victory has 1,000 fathers; defeat has 1,000 kibitzers.
al critical gore independence joe picked
When Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman, it was a clear declaration of independence from President Clinton; no Democrat had been more critical of Clinton's misconduct.
added convince exception gop led showing side speaker vote
The GOP doesn't need to convince the right to vote for Bush, and, with the exception of some grousing that led to Santorum and Brownback to be added to the speaker list, they won't be showing the right-wing side of the party.
al argument background bill central chose clash clinton future gore indeed stop
When Bill Clinton chose Al Gore in 1992 - from the same generational, ideological, and geographical background as his - it underscored his campaign's central argument that this was a clash between the past and the future, that 'Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow' was indeed the campaign's anthem.
arena marriage power prohibit states supreme took until
Traditionally, marriage is one arena where states have all but plenary power; it took until 1967 for the Supreme Court to tell states they could not prohibit interracial marriage.
fancy next phrases
The niftiest turn of phrase, the most elegant flight of rhetorical fancy, isn't worth beans next to a clear thought clearly expressed.
powerful fate player
There are good people who are dealt a bad hand by fate, and bad people who live long, comfortable, privileged lives. A small twist of fate can save or end a life; random chance is a permanent, powerful player in each of our lives, and in human history as well.
political politics conspiracy
More things in politics happen by accident or exhaustion than happen by conspiracy.
communication home views
A citizen at his home in Rockford, Illinois, or Boulder, Colorado, could read a newspaper, listen to a radio, or watch the round-the-clock coverage on television, but he had no way of connecting with those who shared his views. Nor was there a quick, readily available tool for an ordinary citizen to gather information on his own. In 1960, communication was a one-way street, and information was fundamentally inaccessible. The whole idea of summoning up data or reaching thousands of individuals with the touch of a finger was a science-fiction fantasy.