“The death of compromise has become a threat to our nation as we confro...” — Deborah Tannen Quote

“The death of compromise has become a threat to our nation as we confront crucial issues such as the debt ceiling and that most basic of legislative responsibilities: a federal budget. At stake is the very meaning of what had once seemed unshakable: 'the full faith and credit' of the U.S. government.”

“The Pavlovian view of women voters - 'plug the words in, and they will respond' - sends a chill down my spine because it sounds like an adaptation of something I have written about communication between the sexes: When a woman tells a man about a problem, she doesn't want him to fix it; she just wants him to listen and let her know he understands.”

“It is being alleged that the Federal Government is 'cutting' spending. In fact, we are not 'cutting' anything. Defense spending under this budget would rise by 4.3 percent over last year. Other discretionary spending would also rise.”

“Social Security is too vital to be lumped into backroom budget talks where the views of ordinary Americans risk going unheard.”

“You rarely get money out of labels, except for when they open up a budget for a project. Other than that, it's a do-or-die type thing.”