Presidents are elected not by direct popular vote but by 538 members of the Electoral College.

In addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties.

But presidential approval also became a surrogate measure of national unity and patriotism.

Knowledge of the soul would unfailingly make us melancholy if the pleasures of expression did not keep us alert and of good cheer.

We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way.

Responsibility for overseeing the implementation of election law typically resides with partisan officials, many with public stakes in the election outcome.

A healthy degree of party unity among Democrats and Republicans has deteriorated into bitter partisan warfare.

Congress requires states to draw single-member districts.

While Republican voters have remained universally supportive of their President, Democrats and Independents are returning to a more naturally critical stance.

Votes in federal elections are cast and counted in a highly decentralized and variable fashion, with no uniform ballots and few national standards.

Further-more, partisan attachments powerfully shape political perceptions, beliefs and values, and incumbents enjoy advantages well beyond the way in which their districts are configured.

Do not forget you will never live forever.

The dead were just the dead, neither awful nor remarkable. History separated out these individuals and preserved their names where others were obilterated for ever.

Be an initiator of change. Keep improving... To change is to improve

I don't really care if my clothes are wrinkled or there's a stain on my shirt. Going out on the road, your clothes are dirty.

Mighty prayer has often been produced by mighty trial.

We must have strong minds, ready to accept facts as they are.

It's probably one of the worst places I've been.

The space that every man occupies in the world is measured by the faith he expresses in connection with his aims and purposes.

It's easy to write when you've nothing to write about (That is, when you are young).

Change your thoughts... charge your life.