Quotes About Bipartisanship

Look, I worked with American Republican presidents and Democratic presidents, all of them, and each of them has shown a deep and profound friendship to Israel, you know? I can't remember anybody who was in that sense negative as far as Israel is concerned.

The only way I can get progressive things done is working with Republicans.

We have promised to do better, and no Republican concern should ever be enough to filibuster our own bill.

Promises to get beyond partisanship are the most perfunctory sort of campaign rhetoric, almost as empty as the partisanship itself.

Protecting our democracy shouldn't be a partisan issue.

The American political system has lost the ability for large-scale compromise, and it has lost the ability to accept some pain now for much gain later on.

As I'm learning, Republicans seem to only care about deficits when a Democrat is in the White House.

The White House - we continue to believe that Democrats and Republicans should do what they have done 80 times, which is to raise the debt limit, and that is what we are working toward.

In September 2008 - as Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and AIG, the world's biggest insurance company, accepted a federal bailout - Senator John McCain of Arizona, in what was widely viewed as a political move, suspended his presidential campaign and called on Obama to rush back to Washington for a bipartisan meeting at the White House.

I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to preserve the Social Security promise that provides secure retirement benefits for all, especially those who are most at risk such as widows, orphans, and people with disabilities when the need arises.

I get along with Democrats really well, and I think that's something that's unreported. I think it's partly my libertarian tendencies.

President Obama stands ready to work with everyone, because that's what the American people expect and deserve - not for the short term political advantages, but the long term health of our country. We don't spend time trying to figure out what's in the minds of Republicans, we try to keep our focus on the American people.

This ought to be a season for cooperation in terms of pushing our economy forward, job creation, steadying the middle class, and laying the groundwork for a better future. And that's what we want to work on with Republicans and Democrats.

You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.

I look forward to working across the aisle in pursuit of our common goal to get Kansas' fiscal house in order.

There's a road that runs through our humanity and it traverses political and partisan lines, and my job as a U.S. senator is to do everything I can to point to that road that connects our collective humanity and to push forward legislation that's good for everybody.

A lot about Congress is about forming good working relationships with people, and humor can really help you do that.

I've worked with Fred Upton, and I think we've got a lot of common agreement on energy production.

It's time for political leaders across the ideological spectrum to realize that, while partisanship is understandable, hyper-partisanship is destructive to our country. We need more visionary leaders who will earnestly strive for bipartisanship and finding policy solutions that can move America forward.

The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell you not to do that to get partisan advantage. Too many people here are willing to deliberately harm the country for partisan gain. That is borderline treason.

I've thought about it, not a lot, but I thought my relationship with Congress - the Democrats and Republicans - would help me get some things done. Not everything, but at least they'd be willing to try.

As the polarization in D.C. spreads, the people willing to come to the middle find less and less acceptance.

I am a Midwestern Democrat, which I believe means practical, reasonable, willing to work across the aisle and focused on the economy and the middle class, saving the middle class.

When an organization is willing to support only lawmakers who are with it 100 percent of the time, it virtually guarantees that the debate will be bitterly partisan.