A very good friend of mine spent a fair amount of time…
“A very good friend of mine spent a fair amount of time doing postmortems and met with a number of the senior folks on the Romney campaign and they spent, what was it, $140, $160 million on data. And this friend of mine, who is a very sharp thinker, asked a series of questions, but the most important one he asked, he said, "What decisions did you make differently because of the data?" And he's coming from the private equity world where he wants to know, OK, and the answer from virtually every single senior Romney person was "nothing."”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Data should inform decisions, but without actionable insight it becomes wasted expense.
In simple terms: Data without impact is wasteful.
Key Takeaway
Demand clear decision outcomes from data investments.
Themes
politics
data analysis
decision making
accountability
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
political
business
When to use this quote
- campaign strategy meetings
- budget reviews
- performance audits
Key Concepts
statistics
cost‑benefit analysis
strategic planning
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you tie data metrics directly to policy choices?
- What processes ensure data informs action?
A Different Perspective
Often data is collected for its own sake, not to drive change.