Joe Scarborough: “In 1995, we talked about promises that were made and promises that we needed to keep. We talked specifically about the…”

“In 1995, we talked about promises that were made and promises that we needed to keep. We talked specifically about the budget. It is hard to remember, but just 4 years ago, the deficit was nearing $300 billion. The debt was skyrocketing. What did that mean to Americans? That meant that interest rates on mortgages, on cars, on college loans were soaring through the roof. In fact, it looked like there was no end in sight to deficit after deficit after deficit. So we stepped up to the challenge. We presented the first plan to balance America's budget in a generation. We heard the President. We heard the Vice President. We heard many Members on the left. We heard the media talking about how balancing the budget under our plan in 7 years would destroy the economy. In fact, that is what the President said. Well, we did not listen to the naysayers. We fought. We passed our plan. The President still objected. In fact, that fall, he vetoed nine bills, shut down the Federal Government and, as only the President can do, blamed it on us. Well, we kept the fight alive. Finally, in 1997, amid troubling reports that if the President did nothing the budget would balance itself, he decided to come to the table and sign the plan that would balance our budget for the first time in a generation.”