Top 10 Political Event Quotes
With the Democrats’ and Republicans’ national conventions just weeks away, the spotlight is on the events world, with political events making headlines almost daily. But just because they’re covering us, doesn’t mean they get what it’s all about.
To get you warmed up for the onslaught of event coverage ahead, we scouted out the best (and worst) sound bites from event reporting around the country. And whether or not you’re involved firsthand, these words from the insiders will give you a peek behind the scenes at two of the most-watched events in America this year.
10. “I always remember conventions in two phases, the office phase and the arena phase.”
— Mike Miller, director of operations for the Committee on Arrangements for the Republican National Convention, on twincities.com
9. “It’s going to be a logistical feat to fill a stadium with minimal disruptions.”
— Jenny Backus, a senior adviser and spokesperson for presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama, on raising the funds necessary for the Democratic National Convention (DNC), in the Rocky Mountain News
8. “From the beginning, we didn’t have any illusions that this wasn’t going to be a major undertaking.”
— Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on preparing the city for the DNC in the Rocky Mountain News
7. “It’s kind of like a house party at your house that you’re not hosting.”
— Dave Jolette, Pepsi Center general manager, on hosting the DNC, in the Denver Post
6. “When Leah Daughtry walks in a room, nobody needs to underestimate her.”
— Burns Strider, who led religious outreach for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and is now an independent consultant, on the CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, to the Associated Press
5. “We are expecting lots of people to be here, big names, small names and everyday American names.”
— Damon Jones, spokesman for the DNC, on celebrities expected to show at the convention, on showbizspy.com
4. “Balloons are part of a convention. That’s just part of the historical nature of it, so there will still be balloons.”
— Andrea Robinson, the DNC’s director of sustainability and greening, on why the convention will include balloons, regardless of their eco-friendliness, on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”
3. “We can give everybody anything they want. If they want red, white and blue potato chips, we’ll find a way to make it happen.”
— John Schafer, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Denver, which is catering the DNC, on Denver organizers’ guidelines specifying the colors of foods to be served, on FOXNews.com
2. “This is the food police. These people stood in line too long at the Aspen Food and Wine Festival.”
— Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown on the guidelines, in the Rocky Mountain News
1. “What would a convention be without all those balloons?”
— Michele Norris, host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”