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Is Politics Still the Art of Compromise?

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  • Description

    Former Rep. Martin Frost, (D-Texas), on the need for bipartisan politics on Capitol Hill.

  • Duration 4:17
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Many see all lists and and asked what's happened of the good old days in congress when deals could be may.

But weren't those days when we ran up our deficit past the point of sanity let's ask a onetime itself.

The democratic congressman from Texas Barton frost good to see again Marty that what -- did just as business as usual.

Is is what led to this mess isn't it where we have this this unsustainable debt so maybe.

Maybe these bad days nowadays are actually better -- -- the old days.

Actually I was there in 1993.

And 1994.

When we passed legislation that led to a balanced budget during the ninety's mean we use it is possible for people to work across party lines.

The Tea Party.

Folks not all of them but a large number of them.

Don't -- it totally reject politics the way that the legislative process has worked in this country for 200 years.

They want to throw bombs they want to tie things up.

Look Mitch McConnell Mitch McConnell is as conservative as it gets I've worked with Mitch McConnell on a lot of issues he's a tough.

Hard line negotiator he agreed to this with Harry Reid.

And most of the Republicans in the senate followed Mitch McConnell and now you have this group in the in the house that really doesn't care they're gonna walk away they're gonna say okay we're not gonna do any thing taxes are gonna go up I think they have miscalculated I think that Mitch McConnell had things pretty well figured out and that that way no one would be blamed now they're Republicans in the house you're gonna get the blame for the fact.

If taxes go up in January.

Now you they can come back then come back in January and hopefully sanity will prevail and something will be worked out will be done retroactively so people's taxes won't go up but that's a risk and we saw that with the super committee.

All of list on the outside thought well the super committee process is not very good but ultimately they will agree to something because is the best interest of the country.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- President Clinton had Clinton really compromised with the with the Democrats in congress -- welfare reform.

On trade policies on a lot of -- Reagan compromised a lot with the Democrats in congress and -- I haven't seen a lot of compromised by this president have you.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Yeah I had that don't want to I don't want to remind our -- he said it was gonna lead to a decision no decision bad that's what some of his people including.

Gene Sperling we're -- but the fact is is that they wanted something substantive and there was nothing subs -- nothing Simpson Bowles like coming out this administration.

Well David look you can you can argue that all you want to.

Right now we're in a situation where we risk.

Any downturn in the economy anything could trigger a downturn we send a bad message by congress walking away.

The senate understood that both the democratic and Republican leadership understood that we don't need this in this kind of message.

About the economy that congress doesn't care and I wanna go back for just a moment as you very quickly because we only have thirty seconds -- to go ahead.

Yeah they -- congress congress used to be able to get things done.

There were some very tough decisions when I was in congress but before when the when it came down in the end we made a compromise we do we did something for the best interest of the country that's not -- these people.

Line today in earnest when they are elected by people and they have to represent the people who elected him and I think that's what they're there may -- elected that's in the congress judges sitting on Jennifer's applause and -- Guys who got to leave it at that market thank.

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