Agency Quote by Kenneth Prewitt
“The actual assertion that the Census Bureau could behave in such a way as to tilt things one way or the other way in the partisan sense, is, on the face of it, a silly charge. It's the same Census Bureau that's considered to be incompetent by some people, and then some of the same people are saying that this incompetent agency is so clever and so Machiavellian that it can design a census for partisan reasons.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Congressional Testimony, 2018, US Census Bureau
The claim that the Census Bureau can be manipulated for partisan gain is contradictory, given its reputation for incompetence.
In simple terms: Accusing a supposedly incompetent agency of clever partisan bias is contradictory.
Key Takeaway
Question the consistency of such accusations.
Themes
politics
government
bureaucracy
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
analytical
political
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- media analysis
- public discourse
- election planning
Key Concepts
partisanship
institutional trust
credibility
Questions to Reflect On
- How does perceived incompetence affect trust in data?
- Can an agency be both incompetent and strategically manipulative?
A Different Perspective
The Bureau may still be subject to political pressure despite perceived incompetence.
![“One thing that's really interesting is not only the magnitude of the recent immigration into this country, but also its distribution and its investment in the country. About 9.3 percent of the population is now foreign-born [announced by the Census Bureau at over 10 percent a few days later]…” quote by Kenneth Prewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ec/kenneth-prewitt-70686_big-cities_one-thing-that-s-really-interesting-is-n_122203.jpg)
![“It's seriously unfortunate when an elected official of the federal government says she's [Michelle Bachmann] going to deliberately break the law. I don't know what kind of signal she thinks that sends, but if she believes that's a good signal, I'm sad for the country. I think that it's deeply…” quote by Kenneth Prewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/340/kenneth-prewitt-70686_believe_it-s-seriously-unfortunate-when-an-elect_1308243.jpg)
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
