Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson blasts GOP for being unwilling to compromise- 'If you can't compromise on anything, go home!'

Former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson is well known for making blatant statements, and he is proving that he has not changed. His frustration is showing, and he is speaking out against the GOP leadership for failing to understand the idea of compromise. Simpson has stated that Republicans’ refusal to negotiate on methods of reducing the current deficit by raising taxes is creating further problems in the future.

"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, we tell these people. This is madness. 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."

Simpson is co-chair for President Obama’s fiscal commission along with Erskine Bowles. The commission prepared a 67 page report with specific methods for creating fiscal responsibility and reform. The title of the report is “The Moment of Truth”, which includes closing tax loopholes and entitlement program reform. The plan calls for repealing several tax cuts and tax credits. The plan has been rejected by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Republican leaders.

Simpson voiced his opinions even further, stating: "I guess I'm known as a RINO now, which means a Republican in name only, because, I guess, of social views, perhaps, or common sense would be another one, which seems to escape members of our party. For heaven’s sake, you have Grover Norquist wandering the earth in his white robes saying that if you raise taxes one penny, he’ll defeat you. He can’t murder you. He can’t burn your house. The only thing he can do to you, as an elected official, is defeat you for re-election. And if that means more to you than your country when we need patriots to come out in a situation when we’re in extremity, you shouldn’t even be in Congress."

As the battle toward the November elections continues, we are sure to see many present and former political leaders express their continued frustration with the lack of negotiation skills we are seeing in Washington. As Americans, we can surely hold onto the hope that our leaders will eventually get serious about doing their jobs and make productive steps toward fixing the economy. One this is blatantly clear, however, choosing to refuse to negotiate is hurting the country not helping it.

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http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/08/09/139237356/alan-simpson-if-lawmakers-cant-compromise-they-should-go-home

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/alan-simpson-republicans_n_1549604.html?1338168566&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009