Leadership Quote by Ed Rendell

Rendell’s line is a politician’s judo move: he flips a culture-war reflex (regulation equals meddling) into a pro-business proposition, then invites his opponents to join him on the safer ground of “better.” The opening questions are baited hooks. “Per se” nods to wonkiness, signaling he’s not arguing for bureaucracy as a moral good; he’s arguing against a simplistic, ideological allergy to rules. It’s a preemptive defense against the charge that Democrats regulate because they dislike business.

The real work happens in the phrase “better regulation.” It’s slippery by design. “Better” can mean smarter enforcement, clearer standards, fewer loopholes, faster permitting, less paperwork, or tougher oversight that prevents disasters. Each audience can project its preferred version onto the word. That ambiguity is not a weakness; it’s the coalition-building engine. He’s framing regulation as infrastructure for markets rather than a punishment for them: predictable rules reduce uncertainty, level the playing field, and keep bad actors from undercutting responsible firms.

Subtextually, he’s also drawing a line between regulation as principle and regulation as practice. Even people who hate “big government” tend to like clean water, safe bridges, and stable banks. Rendell is betting that the business community, often publicly anti-regulation, privately wants coherent guardrails that prevent shocks, lawsuits, reputational damage, and boom-bust chaos.

The closing, “get together on,” is classic Rendell-era triangulation: an invitation that doubles as a challenge. If you refuse “better,” you look like you’re defending not freedom, but disorder.