"Joe Biden urges governors to lead nation" Associated Press July 12, 2014
NASHVILLE — Vice President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the political gridlock crippling Washington, calling on Republican and Democratic governors alike to lead the nation ‘‘out of this mess’’ while insisting that Congress approve billions of dollars to repair the country’s aging infrastructure.
‘‘The way things have gotten today, and I’m not singling out any party or any group of people — the politics, the culture in Washington, it’s become too personal, it’s too corrosive,’’ Biden said during a meeting of the National Governors Association. ‘‘I think you’ve got to lead us out of this mess we’re in.’’
The vice president’s comments came during the first day of the governors’ three-day conference in Nashville, where state leaders from both parties gathered to collaborate despite intensifying partisan differences on immigration, health care, and education.
Despite the bipartisan tone, the midterm elections loomed over the gathering. Many governors face voters in an election season that will decide the balance of power in state houses from Nevada to New Hampshire and could end some presidential campaigns before they begin.
Biden, a possible presidential contender himself, said the political climate in Washington was less divisive when he began serving in the Senate more than three decades ago, a time when white segregationists served openly in Congress.
‘‘Even in those days, the politics was intense, ideological differences were real, but it never got to where it is today. It was never personal. It was never cast in the context of you’re good or bad.’’
It was a better time, 'eh, Joe?
Then your boss must be insane.
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