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Former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) weighs in on today’s meeting of senate and congressional leaders at the White House on the fiscal cliff deadline.
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-- let me bring and Byron Dorgan former democratic senator.
I'm North Dakota he -- Washington DC senator great to see it.
This meeting.
Posture rang our progress.
What say you.
Well I mean there needs to be meeting and I am pleased the president's called what I've sat in meetings like that with both Republican and democratic presence at the White House that.
Times like this but.
The fact is I think all of the sides here have they had a lost opportunity that implication of this cliff was -- create a cliff.
-- -- require serious people talking about serious things for about.
34 or five months prior to that -- to come up with some big solutions for the economic trouble that we face that has not happened.
And so now we would come up to the twelfth -- not unusual for.
Political issues these days unfortunately but.
This all reinforces.
The notion of why gridlock is stopping progress and almost everything here in Washington and I think that what they need to do now is.
To make sure that we do no harm to the economy that's that that's the important element at the moment.
We can hope for that senator but since the election it says -- the difference says.
Between the two sides have hardened even more.
And even if they do something small.
To prevent serious harm to the economy what is -- even say about the potential for.
Tax reform in the coming year what does it say about the potential -- really try and right.
Our nation and financial late -- will not get dot -- -- what is it going to take to get them to act.
Responsibly.
In the best interest of this country.
Well you know the lubrication for democracy is for people who feel differently to come together and reach compromise I mean that has always been the way things worked.
And I served in congress for thirty years with people who.
At the end of the day even though they felt differently and strongly about things they wanted to come together understanding need to compromise.
You know you mentioned for example tax reform.
We need tax reform in this country and I was in the 1986.
-- -- Ways and Means Committee we did the last major tax reform.
Ronald Reagan was president democratic congress it was hard to do it took a long time but we did -- And in the -- that required a lot of compromise and a lot of working together.
Those elements don't exist much today and I I hope somehow through all of this whatever happens now the next couple of days.
I hope somehow -- there's an understanding that you that you can't go on like this it doesn't serve the country's interest.
To continue this kind of gridlock we have to make decisions about the future -- wouldn't change it now.
What will change and well in that what is happening at the moment is reinforcing and everybody's mind in this country that.
Things are working here and I hope everybody Republicans and Democrats the president the congress understand.
What we've got to show people we can work together we can make compromises.
You know we have some new people that have come to congress'.
-- made a -- promise back home we won't compromise on anything we're gonna stand by our principles we will never compromised.
Well that unfortunately things can't work that way you must compromise.
Senator it's great to -- thank you so much thank you are probably billionaire avoid the called continue to -- -- and -- -- -- -- Thank you -- negative thing is senator Byron Dorgan be well.
