He has methodically over the years built a fund-raising organization. Now it raises a lot of money. He does that the way you would try to build any organization, which is to develop a committed base and look to expand it.

I kept wondering what he meant when he says our leaders need to aim higher, but now that the vice president is coming to campaign for him, I think I understand it.

He raises money both to run campaigns and to elect other Democrats nationwide. If you believe as he does that the country is headed in the wrong direction ... then one of the things you can do about it is to raise money and help elect Democrats nationwide.

You can still strike it rich with technology. If you have a smart idea, a lot of ambition and a lot of luck, Silicon Valley is where some billionaires are going to be made.

It's very easy to come out and criticize hard choices if you're not making any of your own.

I was communications director for [2004 presidential candidate John] Kerry in Florida, and we couldn't get Bob Menendez there enough to campaign for us.

We're not focused on polls.

We think there needs to be an up-or-down vote, and we think it ought to come sooner rather than later. There is a very real question if the administration has the authority to block this deal after it closes on Thursday. Even with this 45-day review, there is a legal question as to whether they could reverse their position, even if they wanted to.

We take the views of all our constituents seriously. Right now, the calls into our office are going 83 percent against confirmation, but we'll add Junior's call to the list.