Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it may have taken a while, but it looks like the White House may finally be coming to the debt ceiling negotiating table in a more serious way. The President has now appointed members of his staff to negotiate directly with Speaker McCarthy's team--a logical and overdue step since the passage of debt ceiling legislation depends on an agreement between the President and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. I was also encouraged by the White House's statement after Tuesday's debt ceiling meeting, which noted that the President is ``optimistic that there is a path to a responsible, bipartisan budget agreement if both sides negotiate in good faith and recognize that neither side will get everything it wants.'' ``[A]nd recognize that neither side will get everything it wants''-- that part is very important because previously the Democrats' and the President's position was that Democrats should get everything they want and that Republicans should get nothing--an extremely unrealistic position and one that suggested Democrats did not understand the nature of divided government. So I am grateful that the President seems to be taking a more realistic view of what is necessary for an agreement. It is unfortunate that it has taken the White House this long. Speaker McCarthy has been ready to negotiate for months, and the President should have engaged seriously months ago, but better late than never.…”