MARQUETTE, MI-- U.S. Senator Carl Levin talked about compromise—it’s failures and successes—in a packed hall at Northern Michigan University Thursday.
The six-term senator—who has decided not to run for re-election—spoke about how a nation of complex ideas has become polarized to the point where the process of government breaks down.
He said every lawmaker must give in a little, even when it comes to issues they strongly believe in.
“Suppose that I, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told my colleagues I will not allow our annual Defense Authorization Act to come before the Committee unless Congress passes a bill that closes unjustified, unwarranted tax loopholes used by the wealthiest of Americans and many of our most profitable companies,” he said. “If every member of Congress adopted that attitude, then we would be violating what our mothers taught us, which is that it’s impossible for everyone to get everything that they want, or nothing will get done.”
Levin said some compromises were reached by congress in the past few months with immigration reform and passage of the Farm Bill.
He said he doesn’t want to spend his final months in office fighting over who’s abusing the rules more or which side can be tougher and more uncompromising. Instead, the senator from Michigan wants to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to meet the challenges facing the country.
