For months, President Obama, members of Congress of both parties and top economists have warned that the nation's fragile economy could be swept back into recession if the two parties did not come to a post-election compromise on January's combination of tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts.
And as I said on election night, compromise is hard.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Republican senator from Texas whom Cruz is replacing, told me after the election, "A compromise on the DREAM Act should be easy to get done now".
With Bill Clinton's election, a compromise was struck: the U.S. would spend tens of billions in research developing a limited defense against a few missiles from Iraq or North Korea, but one that would not pose a threat to the thousands of Russian ICBM's.
The last election by compromise is considered to be that of Pope John XXII in 1316, and the last election by acclamation that of Pope Innocent XI in the 1676 conclave.
So with the clock ticking towards European elections, a compromise was struck.
Trade negotiators say that at a meeting in Sydney, Australia, before the American midterm elections, a compromise seemed to be near.
Assemblyman Steven Sanders, the chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, said that he had preferred a direct election but compromised to get the bill passed.
A12 Tax Plan From House G.O.P. House Republicans unveiled a proposal to give a tax cut to married couples, stepping up pressure on President Clinton and Democrats to agree to an election-year compromise on taxes.
They circled each other for three months in the fall, then concluded that they would rather debate ideology in the 2002 elections than compromise and act quickly to help their constituents.
