Bradley's vision: Americans 'can do better'

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They stretched the US national debt is currently fifteen trillion dollars and getting bigger and it's the highest it has ever been yet Washington is gridlocked.

In congress can't seem to reduce the deficit or create enough jobs to turn around the economy right now well our next guest has a plan.

Bill Bradley you recognize him the former senator from New Jersey a former presidential candidate and he author of the brand new book came out yesterday.

We can all do better senator great -- have -- recruited Steve thanks they.

There's so much going on in the country right now that doesn't feel right you look at the polls and they say it wouldn't 67% of countries say we're on the wrong path.

What we do.

Well you know last summer when the government about what took place and we were still in two wars and in the middle class continues take it on the chin in terms of didn't come.

Term investments of -- what what can I do and so that's I wrote this book.

And the title we can all be better comes from Lincoln's second State of the Union Address where he says you know we're consumer and civil war in -- not doing well.

And he says it's we can only succeed by concert it's not.

Can any of us imagine better sure but can all of us do better -- -- that's real question count all of us to better you look out there certainly the government can do better.

Mean look at the fragility and inequality of our economy right look at the of paralysis or national dialogue the direction or foreign policy.

Mean look at their own lives mean can each of us do better sure many of them they hit save money do we read books do we know all the things that we know we can do take care of our health.

Right but how do you do better for instance with that with the debt problem we know that at the end of the year you know taxes are gonna go up and and we've got that they would look at the national -- when you're in congress you you couldn't probably imagine a number that period.

And yet it gets bigger and bigger and the president -- and the congress have kicked the can down the road.

-- I think that the key thing is to face the reality.

And the deficit is gonna come up in November December.

Congress kicked it down the road and that's when it's got to take place -- -- -- you're gonna get the deficit down.

Yet -- the big guys she got a touch items like.

Medicare just Social Security taxes and defense right.

-- did with him a lot of people say that senator but the president you know he he knows it's election year.

And that's the third rail of politics you know it's very -- Saying because.

Last summer.

Days speaker of the house John Boehner Republican men Barack Obama may have an agreement in principle the -- Offer three to four trillion dollars in deficit reduction -- took them back to its caucus there were 43 Tea Party newly elected members who vetoed that.

And so just to -- is it tells you how quickly things can change.

And that's what happened as result we are where we are.

In the -- but I don't based on real competence on compromise I mean I saw Dick Lugar last time he did he lost.

It's a real loss for the country and you blame the Tea Party throughout the -- his opponents said the time for collegiality is over time for confrontation has arrived.

-- we didn't have compromised as I talk about and we can all do better we wouldn't have a country.

But the senator there -- a lot of conservatives who want to elect people who are conservative like them and they saw him as a moderate somebody who just gave up you know.

I mean it's it's a free country there were -- conservatives when I was in the senate.

But at the end of the day you compromise Ronald Reagan for example would take a very strong conservative position.

So that you empower the that he would compromise because you want to get things done some -- straightened and -- know we can all do better says.

We can all level and we can all do better but there's reason to hope and there's reason to know that we can be a better country.

Well it's it's -- great theory and it's a great new book a ticket that we can all be better senator Bill Bradley would think -- like Houston.

I think it's.

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Bradley's vision: Americans 'can do better'

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