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In view of our public pledges, we public officials can never again go before the public merely promising election reform. The time for promises is past.

Political promises are much like marriage vows. They are made at the beginning of the relationship between candidate and voter, but are quickly forgotten.

One of the promises I made when I ran was, I'll never vote with my reelection in mind.

So you know, I think that the federal government, the Democrats, and President Obama are selling a lot of hope and change, but no delivery of any of those promises.

What does that mean for a society, for a democracy, when the people that you elect on the basis of promises can basically suborn the will of the electorate?

Making promises and then saddling yourself with a political system and a political union that means that you cannot deliver those promises, I fear, doesn't contribute to an atmosphere of trust and confidence in politics.

Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once.

In politics, sometimes you have to lie, or you make a promise that you cannot keep.

Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.