I just worry a lot. I'm a worrier. Michelle and Barack are really dear to me. I mean I love them. And I don't want to see them get hurt. Just the nature of politics is hurtful. So every time they are hurt I get hurt. It's a lot to ask of people and it's a lot to see your friends go through. It's hard not to get emotional.

Broadway is such a diverse community. Everybody knows how I believe and everyone believes and it's not a big deal. But in Hollywood if you talk about politics - especially if you're a Republican - or spirituality it's just not something people want to hear about.

Whether you are on the Right or the Left everyone can agree that there are a lot of outside influences in American politics that are not good for the system. There's just too much money.

I think that what I'm doing is right. And election-year politics which intensifies everything is not going to drive me off that course.

Every artistic expression is either influenced by or adds something to politics.

The sheep-people don't think for themselves anymore. You can say anything and it's the gospel truth and they don't have to go research it or anything and they believe everything the news tells them. People don't go and do their own investigations if it's relationships or politics or anything.

I was very aware of office politics because I was so baffled by them. So much so goes unsaid. No one says 'you're a cheeky so-and-so ' no one says 'you're so moody ' nobody ever confronts anyone else about anything. But I'm very crass and I'm very confrontational and I have a temper. I had to be hyper-vigilant in every office I worked in.

Every week I read about myself in a magazine about something that I haven't done or some place that I've never been or don't even know. It's just gossip rumors egos and politics.

The challenge in working in politics particularly if you're working for a political party is that everyone's a messenger.

What's going on in the Senate is kind of a politics of escalation. We're getting sort of like the Mideast: pay back everybody when you're in charge.