Ed Rendell Quotes

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

— Ed Rendell

And the beautiful open spaces, the forests of Pennsylvania, the recreational uses that come from having these green open spaces and forests, they contribute dramatically to the level of our tourism, dramatically.

— Ed Rendell

“One of the things that people don't realize is that that natural beauty, those recreational forests, they have an economic development impact for the state as well.”

— Ed Rendell

“I think if we're going to have to landfill trash, and I think we basically have to, we might as well get the upside for it and dedicate that upside to improving the environment in so many different ways.”

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

“Natural gas is great for America in so many ways.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

“Growing Greener doesn't produce money for farmland preservation or open space preservation.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

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.

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

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.

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“I've always sort of believed that the future takes care of itself.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

“You know rule one for the vice president is make sure you never upstage the president, right? It's rule one.”

— Ed Rendell

“I think a moratorium probably is legal, and we should probably for a short period of time impose a moratorium so that we don't permit any additional landfill permits for the time being, so we don't exacerbate the problem.”

— Ed Rendell

“And secondly, I would impose a significant state landfill tipping fee and use that tipping fee to fund the billion dollar bond issue that I want to create to produce the funds for all of the environmental challenges that we just went over.”

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“I think the president should be accessible, should answer questions that aren't pre-screened, but I think there should be a little bit of dignity to the presidency.”

— Ed Rendell

“Well, the infrastructure part of the stimulus has worked. There's absolutely no question about it. We can demonstrate in Pennsylvania and other states around the union how it's produced good, paying jobs both on the construction sites and back in American factories. It has worked.”

— Ed Rendell

“Creating new jobs for Pennsylvanians continues to be my highest priority throughout the Commonwealth.”

— Ed Rendell

“Is regulation per se bad? Is better regulation bad? I think better regulation is good for the business community, and I think that's something we should get together on.”

— Ed Rendell

“We will not lose this election for lack of money.”

— Ed Rendell

I normally don't endorse in Democratic primaries.

— Ed Rendell

“We've been working our tail off and lead by that example.”

— Ed Rendell

“But in the long run we're not going to be able to keep out of state trash away from Pennsylvania.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

“I am a fiscal conservative.”

— Ed Rendell

“I hate negative ads in general.”

— Ed Rendell

“I love the concept of community energy.”

— Ed Rendell

“If I lose, I lose. I'll do it on my terms.”

— Ed Rendell

“If I were president, I am not sure that I would offer Ed Rendell the job of chief of staff.”

— Ed Rendell

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

— Ed Rendell

Under the law, the government, whether it's state, local or federal, cannot give the Catholic Church or any religious institution money directly.

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

It used to be that Democrats and Republicans would disagree, but they could be social to each other. There were times during the year that we acted together in the good of the country.

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“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.”

— Ed Rendell

“The I-95 bridges were built in the early 1960s and are now more than 50 years old. The same vintage as the I-35 bridge that collapsed in Minnesota back in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The antiquated Skagit River Bridge in Washington state that collapsed last May after a truck hit one of the trusses was even older. And it's not just bridges. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 32 percent of the major roads in America are now in poor condition and in need of major repairs.”

— Ed Rendell

“I don't think anyone can calculate the effect of having a Jew on the ticket.”

— Ed Rendell

The single most important thing you can do to get elected is to have street money!

— Ed Rendell

“I think our forests should be preserved as much as humanly possible for recreation and just for enjoyment of the natural beauty of Pennsylvania.”

— Ed Rendell

“American Eagle can be a selling point for other young, cutting-edge companies to come to Pittsburgh”

— Ed Rendell