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Compromise on Issues, Not Principles.
Alan Simpson Slams Fellow Republicans For Unwillingness To Compromise
Huffington Post – Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) lashed out at members of his party on Sunday, slamming them for their unwillingness to compromise on proposed tax increases.
In his characteristically colorful style, Simpson told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that Republicans’ rigid opposition to new tax revenues has hampered productivity and diminished the chances of reaching an agreement with Democrats on debt reduction. “You can’t cut spending your way out of this hole,”
Simpson, who was appointed as co-chair of President Obama’s Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in 2010, said. “You can’t grow your way out of this hole, and you can’t tax your way out of this hole. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, we tell these people. This is madness.”
Simpson continued: “If you want to be a purist, go somewhere on a mountaintop and praise the east or something. But if you want to be in politics, you learn to compromise. And you learn to compromise on the issue without compromising yourself. Show me a guy who won’t compromise and I’ll show you a guy with rock for brains.”
The former senator, along with debt commission co-chair Erskine Bowles, developed a plan in 2010 for bringing down the top tax rate and lowering the deficit by repealing a number of tax cuts and credits. The initial plan, commonly known as Simpson-Bowles, was mostly ignored by lawmakers. A bipartisan budget modeled after their report was rejected by the House earlier this year.
During the interview Sunday, he expressed frustration with his party’s focus on social issues, as well as the ability of outspoken figures like Americans for Tax Reform head Grover Norquist to drive the conversation. [more]
Simpson: ‘Show me a guy who won’t compromise and I’ll show you a guy with rock for brains’
CNN - What happens when a Democrat and a Republican put their heads together to fix America’s deficit? It’s called the Simpson-Bowles plan. – Fareed speaks to former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the men behind it.
Simpson has some strong words about his fellow Republicans: “You can’t cut spending your way out of this hole. You can’t grow your way out of this hole and you can’t tax your way out of this hole. So put that in your pipe and smoke it. … If you want to be in politics, you learn to compromise. …
Show me a guy who won’t compromise and I’ll show you a guy with rock for brains.” [more]
We agree. So please join us in calling on more leaders to take the bipartisan path to responsible fiscal solutions to the U.S. budget deficit and the other fiscal problems facing the nation today.
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