Quotes from Mark McKinnon

Twitter is not a business. I know its founders would like to think it is. It is, for the most part, a diversion.

It's just madness. First email. Then instant message. Then MySpace. Then Facebook. Then LinkedIn. Then Twitter. It's not enough anymore to 'Just do it.' Now we have to tell everyone we are doing it, when we are doing it, where we are doing it and why we are doing it.

Having been heavily involved in the planning of a couple of G.O.P. conventions, my view is, we should just scrap 'em. Cancel 'em. Just figure out an appropriate forum for the nominee to give an acceptance speech and be done with it.

Infrastructure spending does not create immediate jobs, and more than half of those jobs will pull from the pool of the already employed.

Normally, when politicians talk about 'cutting the budget,' they really mean reducing the amount of increase. Actual spending goes up while the politicians claim to have 'cut the budget.'

George W. Bush was president through some of the darkest days of our history and yet his optimism never waned. He is optimistic by nature, but he also understood the importance of always communicating a sense that things will get better.

Unfortunately, in American politics there are no standards for shame.

War is often about making the least-worst decision. The same could be said about politics. But the stakes are higher in war, when the commander-in-chief is called upon to defend the nation.

I don't claim any moral or ethical high ground, but I also have chosen not to run for public office. Shouldn't there be a higher standard of conduct for public officials?

Mitt Romney is a nice guy. But, we know where nice guys finish in politics.

The problem with State of the Union speeches is that they are, by their nature and design, alphabet soup. It's hard to know what a president really cares about when they run down a laundry list and check every issue box under the sun for fear they will offend some constituency if they don't.

Public unions are big money.

When you look at the money spent by labor unions for Democrats, it comes as no surprise the Democrats crafted a campaign-finance 'disclosure' bill with the thresholds adjusted to exempt unions.

I think that the press has a duty and an obligation to report on local government, state government, federal government - to be aggressive, to do its job. And its job is to report on whatever it's covering.

I'm amazed, as quirky, individual and selfish as most of us are, that anyone stays married for long.

My brother is one of my true heroes. Steady and sober where I am impulsive and emotional.

The Hippocratic Oath says do no harm. It's the Hypocritical Oath that says do no harm to one's political future.

Debates require a lot of hard work and preparation. If you try to wing it, it shows.

If you're a Democrat and 'The New York Times' is calling for your head, you know it's time for an exit strategy.

Limited government, low taxes, controlled spending and debt, and a restrained regulatory environment make Texas work.

The No Child Left Behind Act will be one of President Bush's enduring legacies. And it was engineered and inaugurated with a truly bipartisan coalition in Congress. Accountability, standards, and truly measuring student performance just makes sense. The only real debate about the law was and is whether or not it was adequately funded.

A failure to act is a terrible, stunning legacy for any leader. But far worse when it is the president of the United States. And that's the point driven home by Romney's selection of Ryan, who dared to lead when Obama did not.

To pull off successful attacks in debates, you have to execute with nuance and subtlety. It has to be artful.

Drone attacks subvert the rule of law - we become judge, jury, and executioner - at the push of a button.