Richard Darman

“The politics of entitlement are part of the core of the problem.”

“We are in a trap... a politician's trap... It is a pleasure-pain trap. The pleasure is to be able to vote for lower taxes. The pain is to be held responsible for higher deficits.”

“The idea of a balanced budget is, to me, something that is a little naive.”

“This is not a matter of 'read my lips.' It's a matter of 'read my logic.'”

“I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the undecided could go one way or another.”

“In the long run, the public interest depends on private virtue.”

“Let's face it: the budget is a bunch of lies.”

“The single most important issue in the 1988 campaign is the need to select a president who is not a dope.”

“You cannot have a sensible economic policy without a sensible budget policy.”