Regardless of Bill Clinton's politics or personal life he grew up in obscurity and was elected to the presidency - twice. Don't take that away from him because then you take it away from every other kid in America sitting out there in a school bus with a big dream.

Sometimes when I listen to fellow progressives I wonder if the only lesson we took away from the '04 elections is that politics is a word game.

My passion for ideas is not matched with a passion for partisan or electoral politics.

I try not to tune in to politics until it's two or three months before the election. Till then it's like watching preseason football.

I didn't become leader to transform the Liberal Democrats into an enlarged form of the Electoral Reform Society. It's not the be all and end all for us. There are other very very key ambitions in politics not least social mobility and life chances that I care about as passionately if not more.

We need to dig deep and give people a reason to be optimistic just as Obama is doing in America. Because in the same way that outcome of the U.S. elections will change the course of events there and around the world so too do politics here in Britain.

There are three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change in America: good public policy grassroots organizing and electoral politics.

Well you know what I'm 60 years old and I've been interested in politics since I was on my daddy's knee. During the 1948 election we were praying for Truman. I know a lot about politics.

I didn't run for student council president. I don't see myself in any way in elected office. I love policy. I'm not particularly fond of politics.

I was in elective politics for 24 years. I've made four national races two for President two for Vice President. I have found there are other ways to serve and I'm enjoying them.

Growing up in politics I know that women decide all elections because we do all the work.

In politics women type the letters lick the stamps distribute the pamphlets and get out the vote. Men get elected.

African-Americans who might have disagreed with candidate Obama's left-of-center politics voted for him in 2008 because electing a candidate with brown skin was too historic an opportunity to miss.

The 'democracy gap' in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out do not vote or listlessly vote for the 'least worst' every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the 'least worst' gets worse.

I was in civil society long before I was ever in politics or my husband was ever even elected president.

I can't let important policy decisions hinge on the fact that an election is coming up every 90 days.

The United States brags about its political system but the President says one thing during the election something else when he takes office something else at midterm and something else when he leaves.