[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 153 (Monday, December 3, 2012)] [Senate] [Pages S7311-S7312] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] NEGOTIATION Mr. REID. Mr. President, before I came to Congress I was a lawyer. I tried lots of cases, more than 100 cases to juries. My greatest victories, though, weren't the cases that we spent in a courtroom and worked on in a courtroom. My greatest victories were the cases that never saw the inside of a courtroom. As English poet George Herbert said, ``A lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit,'' and that is true. It is always better to settle than to fight. I have done my fair share over the years of negotiating, both as a lawyer and as a Senator and as a Member of the House. I have a bit of negotiating advice for Republican leaders: You are doing it wrong. Generally during a negotiation, each side brings an offer or demand to the table. That is how it has always worked. Then the two sides sit down and find middle ground. It is not always easy and it is rarely fun. True compromise means no one gets everything they want, but unless both sides come to the negotiating table with an offer, you can't even begin the negotiation. In fact, unless both sides come to the table with an offer, there is no negotiation. Over the last week, Republican leaders from both Chambers have complained that Democrats put forward a proposal for resolving the fiscal cliff that reflected our priorities--our priorities. What did they expect? Our proposal is simple. We want to end unnecessary tax breaks for the richest of the rich and provide security for everyone making less than $250,000 a year. No one should be surprised at President Obama's offer. It is exactly what he has said he supports time and time again. For months now, it is what I have said I support. I have said it time and time again. It is what Democratic Senators campaigned on across the country this election cycle. This plan would protect 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small [[Page S7312]] businesses from tax increases. It also passed the Senate 4 months ago, and it has the support of the American people. The vast majority of Americans--Independents, Democrats, and even more than 40 percent of Republicans--supports this. I wish I could share with you the details of the Republicans' answering proposal, but there hasn't been one. They haven't produced a single proposal. We are not doing their homework for them. It is the Republicans' responsibility to respond with a counteroffer--not a hint dropped during, perhaps, an interview with the Washington Post, the New York Times or even the Wall Street Journal or a Sunday talk show but a real modified offer. President Obama has told Republicans and the world where he stands. The sooner the Republicans make a legitimate offer, the sooner we can all start working to find middle ground. So let me remind my Republican colleagues that as we work toward a final agreement, millions of middle-class families are nervously watching and waiting. For 4 months Republicans have held them hostage to protect the richest 2 percent of taxpayers. Reasonable rank-and-file Republicans are urging their leadership to stop delaying Senate-passed legislation that would give millions of middle-class families making less than $250,000 the certainty that their taxes won't go up by about $2,200 on January 1. It will be hard for Speaker Boehner to pass our bill--no, it wouldn't be hard at all; it would be so easy. Every Democrat in the House will vote for it--every Democrat in the House. To reach 218 votes, which is half plus 1 in the House, it takes only 26 reasonable Republicans willing to put the needs of the middle-class demands ahead of Grover Norquist. That is so simple. So when my friend, the Speaker, says he can't pass it, that is simply without foundation or fact, and it is not true. As my friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, said on a Sunday talk show yesterday, John Boehner has a decision to make. This is what she said: ``He's got to decide, is his speakership more important or is the country more important.'' That is a pretty easy question to answer for everyone. It should be an easy question to answer for Speaker Boehner. As we continue to hope for a balanced agreement that will safeguard the economy, I hope Speaker Boehner ends the suspense for millions of American families and does it soon. ____________________