Political Quotes

“I rise first to thank my colleague and friend from California (Mr. Bera), for recognizing that in divided government, which we've had in the past, it's important that we sit down and resolve differences and we negotiate. He correctly pointed out that President Reagan, in the 1980s, was willing to and quick to negotiate with then-Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, and they accomplished great things. They reformed the Tax Code in 1982. In 1986, they reformed Social Security by working with Tip O'Neill and Senator Moynihan from New York. Twelve years later, President Clinton was willing to sit down and speak with then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and they performed important things for this country. They reformed welfare and balanced the budget. Those things weren't easy. Those things took resolution. It took resolve and willingness to sit down and talk with each other. Here we are in the year 2013, and many of us on this side of the aisle are feeling like we don't have government that's willing to sit down and negotiate. As a matter of fact, this morning in The Hill it is reported in a headline that says: ``Obama to Republicans: I will not negotiate.'' So here we are at the eleventh hour ready, willing to compromise, to negotiate with a Commander in Chief and Chief Executive that will not negotiate with us. What you need in order to compromise many times is time and space, and I'm here today, Mr.…”