All politics is based on the indifference of the majority.

James "Scotty" Reston (1909-1995) Scottish-American journalist and editor

“New York: Rockefeller Comes Out of His Trance,” New York Times (12 Jun 1968)
    (Source)

This is cited in multiple places to this 1968 op-ed, to which I don't have access. Reston also used the phrase in this 1972 op-ed.