Word: bipartisanism
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...that avoided a Senate meltdown known as the "nuclear option" over President Bush's judicial appointments. In 2008 he guided the Gang of 10's work on a compromise regarding offshore drilling. And this week the two-term Senator has been spearheading a group of negotiators to find a bipartisan solution on the more than $900 billion stimulus bill. Nelson won't provide an exact number of Senators involved in these talks, coyly trying to avoid yet another gang label. (Enterprising reporters have counted conferees going in - there are 18, including six Republicans.) The talks dragged on well into Thursday...
...therein lies the nature of the yet-to-be-finalized compromise: the group might tolerate some form of education funding for cash-strapped states as long as it doesn't create a new permanent mandate. "The challenge is to bring enough Republicans over to make it bipartisan, given some differences of opinion about education being in the bill," Nelson said. "But what we would hope is that both the Democrats and the Republicans decide that it is the best interest of the country to develop a consensus where everybody gives and everybody takes some...
...this issue and on the next issue and the issue thereafter. He recognizes that getting input from everybody makes a great deal of sense even though ultimately there may be 59 Democratic votes. But he knows that just picking off a Republican to get your 60 votes is not bipartisan enough for what we want to do here...
...items that may fall out of the bill because of the compromise, such as the education provisions, could be reinserted in negotiations with the House over the final version. Nelson is aware of the risk but plans to fight tooth and nail to protect his deal. "The President wants bipartisan support," he noted. "And to get it, you have to maintain something comparable to what we're talking about...
...much," Nelson said with a sigh, but he quickly snapped out of his momentary lag. "The White House is supporting our efforts because they know that this is the way to get something that's bipartisan," he added. "There isn't any other way to get something that's bipartisan unless you're working to achieve it. It doesn't happen on its own around here...