--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In campaigns, promises are usually…" description: "\"In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to gauge a candidate's instincts.\" — Ari Melber" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg" --- # In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically… ![“In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to gauge a candidate's instincts.” quote by Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg) > “In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to gauge a candidate's instincts.” [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People distrust campaign promises and rely on past positions to judge a candidate’s true intentions. **In simple terms:** Campaign promises are met with skepticism; past actions are trusted. Key Takeaway Evaluate candidates by their track record. Themes politics trust skepticism Mood cautious critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - voting decisions - media analysis - public debates - campaign strategy Key Concepts public perception credibility historical consistency Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a candidate’s consistency? - What role does media play in shaping trust? A Different Perspective Past positions may be misrepresented or taken out of context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Campaigns Promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns-promises-5861052/) [Candidate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate/) [Candidate Instincts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate-instincts-5861053/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Positions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-positions-5861055/) [Promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promises/) [Promises Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promises-usually-5861054/) [Reliable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliable/) [Skeptically Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeptically-past-5861056/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [It is plainly evident that, in a country where land was to be had for the asking, fuel for the cutting, corn for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/it-is-plainly-evident-that-in-a-country-where-land-was-to-be-had-for/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [I'm absolutely delighted if people think of me as a reliable purveyor of quality period stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-m-absolutely-delighted-if-people-think-of-me-as-a-reliable-purveyor/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [Have the most reliable friend you can have in American politics, and that is ready money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/have-the-most-reliable-friend-you-can-have-in-american-politics-and/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [“Books are so much more reliable than people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-cross/books-are-so-much-more-reliable-than-people/) [Amy Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-cross/) > [Being reliable and accountable is what keeps you there and keeps you moving up that corporate ladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-reliable-and-accountable-is-what-keeps-you-there-and-keeps-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a simple plan to solve the economic crisis. Give every American a $100 credit to the dog track of their choice. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-geist/i-have-a-simple-plan-to-solve-the-economic-crisis-give-every-american/) [Willie Geist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-geist/) > [“A good enemy can be better than the best of friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/a-good-enemy-can-be-better-than-the-best-of-friend/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [One of the reasons why I went to the Yale School of Drama is because I felt that I was acting off of instinct,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-went-to-the-yale-school-of-drama-is-because/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [“I am not predictable but, I am reliable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-florian/i-am-not-predictable-but-i-am-reliable/) [Fernando Florian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-florian/) > [“Tests provide the only reliable documentation of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tests-provide-the-only-reliable-documentation-of-design/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If she has a good, strong, reliable father image, which is hard to find these days, that will be her image of men, probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-johnson/if-she-has-a-good-strong-reliable-father-image-which-is-hard-to-find/) [Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-johnson/) > [Go God's way! His is the most reliable route to follow when life gets complicated. It will have its tough moments, but you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/go-god-s-way-his-is-the-most-reliable-route-to-follow-when-life-gets/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can-just-as-readily-flounder-as/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [The lack of reliable broadband is hurting our kids. It's hurting vital services like telehealth. It's hurting our economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-warnock/the-lack-of-reliable-broadband-is-hurting-our-kids-it-s-hurting-vital/) [Raphael Warnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-warnock/) ## More by Ari Melber > [It always rankled me - in law school and the legal profession - when lawyers would speak to each other in their own exclusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/it-always-rankled-me-in-law-school-and-the-legal-profession-when/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Progressive bloggers should not only write on behalf of the members of America's underclass but also empower them to join the discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/progressive-bloggers-should-not-only-write-on-behalf-of-the-members/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Law and politics are often overly complicated because there are people that don't want the rest of us to know what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/law-and-politics-are-often-overly-complicated-because-there-are/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [News may not be very profitable anymore, but it sure is popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/news-may-not-be-very-profitable-anymore-but-it-sure-is-popular/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [The president's powers are always open to being questioned by the co-equal branches of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/the-president-s-powers-are-always-open-to-being-questioned-by-the-co/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Like any good lawyer, I'm going to maintain a confidentiality of advice offered in confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/like-any-good-lawyer-i-m-going-to-maintain-a-confidentiality-of/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [The Tea Party movement's economic agenda is a matter of emphasis, not exclusion. This is not a single-issue group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/the-tea-party-movement-s-economic-agenda-is-a-matter-of-emphasis-not/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Why do Tea Party backers oppose abortion at higher rates than their traditional GOP cohort? Religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/why-do-tea-party-backers-oppose-abortion-at-higher-rates-than-their/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Companies like YouTube will continue to be tested on their commitment to the mission that made them such popular and profitable websites - providing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/companies-like-youtube-will-continue-to-be-tested-on-their-commitment/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Navigating a battle between partisan, progressive organizing and decentralized petition drives is, at bottom, like trying to choose between the Democratic Party and democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/navigating-a-battle-between-partisan-progressive-organizing-and/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Politics has certainly changed a lot in an era of micro-targeting, Super PACs, and Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/politics-has-certainly-changed-a-lot-in-an-era-of-micro-targeting/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Political operatives don't tend to be existentialists. They do know, however, that if a supporter doesn't vote, then his or her opinion does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/political-operatives-don-t-tend-to-be-existentialists-they-do-know/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [I do listen to Drake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/i-do-listen-to-drake/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [Only in Washington can the pursuit of a conservative agenda, with centrist policies, be depicted as liberal reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/only-in-washington-can-the-pursuit-of-a-conservative-agenda-with/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [My job is to be accurate and clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/my-job-is-to-be-accurate-and-clear/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) [Explore all 99 Ari Melber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) ## More Candidate quotes > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [As a registered Democrat, I am praying for a credible presidential candidate to emerge from the younger tier of politicians in their late 40s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/as-a-registered-democrat-i-am-praying-for-a-credible-presidential/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Obama did organize a great large number of people and many enthusiastic people, what's called in the press 'Obama's Army.' But the army is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-did-organize-a-great-large-number-of-people-and-many/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/candidate-trump-held-out-his-hand-to-vladimir-putin-he-rejected/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [You should not be misled about the so-called single opposition candidate. There are so many of them now that you will lack the fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lukashenko/you-should-not-be-misled-about-the-so-called-single-opposition/) [Alexander Lukashenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lukashenko/) > [I want to say that I cannot be intimidated or stopped. In order to put an end to various attempts to get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/i-want-to-say-that-i-cannot-be-intimidated-or-stopped-in-order-to-put/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [Today, I'm a candidate for the office of president of the United States of America. My kids can't believe I just said that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/today-i-m-a-candidate-for-the-office-of-president-of-the-united/) [Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/) > [I think Trump is a very interesting candidate in this sense: I think he has cross-party appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-think-trump-is-a-very-interesting-candidate-in-this-sense-i-think/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I do think that sometimes, especially coming into this going straight from activism to being a candidate or to being a person who potentially,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/i-do-think-that-sometimes-especially-coming-into-this-going-straight/) [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/) > [Even though I don't agree with Donald Trump on everything, and I think there may be certain things or statements of his that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-zeldin/even-though-i-don-t-agree-with-donald-trump-on-everything-and-i-think/) [Lee Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-zeldin/) > [I'm not quite certain how you can force a candidate to stick by the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-m-not-quite-certain-how-you-can-force-a-candidate-to-stick-by-the/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I am not a fan of Mitt Romney, but I admit that he is, politically speaking, a good candidate for president. He has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/i-am-not-a-fan-of-mitt-romney-but-i-admit-that-he-is-politically/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [I am aware of the responsibility I am taking on as the chancellor. Things have developed very quickly for me in recent years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/i-am-aware-of-the-responsibility-i-am-taking-on-as-the-chancellor/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [For people to even think that I'd be considered or a good candidate for a supporting actress nomination is mind blowing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naya-rivera/for-people-to-even-think-that-i-d-be-considered-or-a-good-candidate/) [Naya Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naya-rivera/) > [A candidate's faith is not the only consideration, but should be a major consideration in electing the president of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/a-candidate-s-faith-is-not-the-only-consideration-but-should-be-a/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) [Browse all 529 Candidate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to gauge a candidate's instincts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ari Melber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treated-skeptically-past-positions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Candidate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treated-skeptically-past-positions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cda/ari-melber-6528_candidate_in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treate_754262.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In campaigns, promises are usually treated skeptically. Past positions are viewed as the one reliable way to…” — Ari Melber", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ari Melber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In campaigns, promises are usually treated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treated-skeptically-past-positions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/in-campaigns-promises-are-usually-treated-skeptically-past-positions/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```