Ed Rendell Quotes

The Medicaid system currently steers people toward nursing home care. Far more people can be covered in community-based care programs for significantly less.

I think politics today is all about false choices: You can have a robust energy economy and a challenged environment, or a great environment and no economy. That’s a false choice. You can do both.

We’ve been working our tail off and lead by that example.

I hate negative ads in general.

George W. Bush always said and did what he believed and he let it rip.

Natural gas is great for America in so many ways.

I have said consistently both in my papers and in my speeches – which you heard in the primary campaign – that I will continue to phase out the Capital Stock and Franchise tax.

I’ve always sort of believed that the future takes care of itself.

Like working families all across the state, we must find a way to make government live within its means.

I am a free spirit. I tell the truth, and I like to mix it up.

I’m interested in giving business an opportunity by improving the tax environment to invest and grow with Pennsylvania, to expand and put more money in capital investment and creating jobs.

I think national issues play into gubernatorial races less than, obviously, in Senate and Congressional races. Much less. They tend to be more decided by personality, leadership qualities and by state or local issues. They still have some effect, no question about it, but not as much as Senate and Congressional races.

Most people are motivated by the economy. And if you’ve lost your job, lost your mortgage, lost your 401(k), you’re angry. And if your brother-in-law has lost one of those you’re angry still. And when you’re angry you take it out on people who are in office. Which is natural.

One of the reasons we don’t have our deficit under control is because Republicans are wusses and won’t tell their base a simple fact that everyone knows. We can’t eliminate the deficit without raising some revenue… They’re wusses.

And preserving our open spaces or having them there for recreational purposes is one of the things that contributes to the high level of quality of life that we offer in Pennsylvania, and that also translates into economic benefits.

There are a tremendous amount of environmental issues that are on the table.

Look, natural gas, just like oil, is going to eventually go away. It’s not renewable.

If I lose, I lose. I’ll do it on my terms.

Growing Greener doesn’t produce money for farmland preservation or open space preservation.

We will not lose this election for lack of money.

Number one I think we should impose a fee or a tax on the transportation of trash per mile.

I love the concept of community energy.

If there was a way to discourage trash constitutionally, I would sure as heck take a hard look at it. I don’t think there is. So I don’t think there’s a choice here.

Would I be happy just practicing law? No. Would I be happy just doing TV and speeches? No. I want to do all of these things and be as active as I can… but my main goal is to have some degree of influence on the public discussion.

I normally don’t endorse in Democratic primaries.

For my part, I make this pledge to all of you: The politics of division, of pitting east against west, urban versus rural, region against region, and people against people will have no place in my Administration.

If you have spent any time with Barack Obama, you know he’s a funny guy. He’s a good guy. He knows sports.

We are the second oldest state in the Union because too many of our young people are leaving Pennsylvania. They are leaving Pennsylvania behind for opportunities elsewhere.

I think Barack Obama has brought a new level of ethical standards to Washington. Has he changed some basic hard-knuckle politics? No. You need hard-knuckle politics to succeed.

Tourism is our second biggest industry in terms of the people it employs.