Scott Walker Quotes
I don't think that split government is a good idea. Conventional wisdom in Washington for years has been that divided government is good because of a check and a balance. What I believe happens all too often, regardless of which party is there's gridlock. And I think the better argument is give one party a chance, give them a chance with a House and a Senate and a president. Give them a few years to see what they can do. And if you don't like it, put another party in.
Walker, Scott. Interview by Hugh Hewitt. The Hugh Hewitt Show, 20 Feb. 2015.
In the beginning of the 21st century political hyper-polarization made Congressional gridlock the norm. Anything that was acceptable to the Democrats would be rejected by the Republicans and vica versa. However, at times, the public would be impassioned by events and demand Congressional action. A movement for gun control after a serious of massacres with assault weapons in 2012 was the example that Thomas was using. If the legislative process could be stretched out until public passions waned, the normal gridlo{78528}k would control and there would be no reform.
At the time Congress was gridlocked in bitter hyperpartisan conflict. Most people called for more comity and bipartisanship and most politicians wanted more bipartisanship but blamed the other party for the rift. Mourdock, arguing for less bipartisanship and no compromise defeated Richard Lugar in the Republican Senatorial Primary election. Lugar, one of the most respected and effective Senators was a statesman who worked with any and all to find effective compromises to reach national solutions. The nation was so politically polarized that the Republican Indiana voters ousted one of their most senior senators because he was effective at developing national solutions. See {626717} and {302706} for other Mourdock’s outrageous comments. While this rhetoric won in the Primary, it lost him the general election in a state where Republicans had a strong majority and should have had the seat.
This has been the conventional wisdom in American politics. However, George W. Bush not only had a small majority in Congress but he had garnered fewer popular votes than his opponents, but won with the electoral college. None the less, he massively cut taxes, mostly for the rich, and changed from the balanced budget to huge deficit spending. He pushed a major drug insurance program through and even tried to privatize Social Security. Obama, the next president had a substantial majority for his party and had a broad mandate, but in his reform issues he had very slim majorities. He went ahead anyway and in his first term he passed stunning and substantial reforms including Health Care Reform and Financial Regulation Reform. These reforms may or may not be able to be enforced in the future. See {625493} for a similar view.
He made this statement before the gridlock of the Stalemate of 2011 when some Republican Tea Party members held the Debt Ceiling limit—which had been almost 100 times been passed routinely under Presidents of both parties—hostage to obtaining a Constitutional amendment and severe budget cuts with no taxes on the super rich.
At the time Congress was gridlocked in bitter hyperpartisan conflict. Most people called for more comity and bipartisanship and most politicians wanted more bipartisanship but blamed the other party for the rift. Mourdock,arguing for less bipartisanship and no compromise defeated Richard Lugar in the Republican Senatorial Primary election. Lugar, one of the most respected and effective Senators was a statesman who worked with any and all to find effective compromises to reach national solutions. The nation was so politically polarized that the Republican Indiana voters ousted one of their most senior senators because he was effective at developing national solutions. See {626717} and {302706} for other Mourdock outrageous comments. While this rhetoric won in the Primary, it lost him the general election in a state where Republicans had a strong majority and should have had the seat.
Scott Kevin Walker is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
