Wayne Messam Quotes

There is a problem in Washington, and the problem is bigger than a continuing resolution. It is bigger than Obamacare. It is even bigger than the budget. The most fundamental problem and the frustration is that the men and women in Washington aren't listening.

And I'm here to tell you, the reaction that I'm getting around the country, people are sick and tired of this word in Washington, compromise. This is why nothing ever gets done.

We have a paralysis in Washington that's not serving our country. We have to address these issues.

Has Washington become so dysfunctional that even when we all agree on something, we can’t get it done?

Washington is a complete mess. It's become a venue for partisan bickering, where the needs of the working class just don't matter.

Given the slow pace of Washington's bureaucracy, policymakers are often busy solving yesterday's problems. This rearview mirror approach afflicts Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress.

People have said to me 'I hope you won't let happen in Washington what is happening in Kansas.'

While I have worked hard to bring folks to the middle to craft common-sense solutions to the many problems that confront our nation, Washington is mired in gridlock, gamesmanship and constant partisan bickering.

There's a void of leadership in a lot of Washington. I think one of the reasons why there's so much angst across the country.

What passes for real debate in Washington often seems more like an echo chamber, with politicians talking at politicians.

We've gotten to the point now where Republicans and Democrats have nothing in common besides being members of the 'caustic caucus,' and we can't get anything done.

Things have gotten so nasty in Washington.

I think most Americans don't really care about politicians bickering in Washington.

In Washington, compromise has become a dirty word.

Voters definitely believe Washington is corrupt - but most think it's bipartisan.

President Bush said that he wanted to change the tone in Washington. He has; it has gotten worse.

In the absence of a crisis, the status quo in Washington is more or less set in cement, as advocacy groups and turf-conscious government officials are able to thwart change.

One of the reasons Americans hold Washington in such low regard is the perception that nothing ever gets done. Whatever the issue - no matter how urgent - they always seem to be 'working on it.'

The people in Iowa know that Washington isn't working. It's devolved into partisan politics and a lot of gridlock and obstruction.

With Washington already broken, the last thing we need is a left-wing version of the Tea Party.

In Washington, you have imaginary problems, and they can't even solve the imaginary problems.

People have been upset about the tenor and discord in Washington for a really long time.

Democrats believe they can win at the ballot box by obstructing, and they would rather win the next election than move America forward.

In typical Washington fashion, nothing gets reformed until a disaster happens.

It's a sad indication of where Washington has come, where policy differences almost necessarily become questions of integrity. I came to Washington in the late '70s, and people had the ability in the past to have intense policy differences but didn't feel the need to question the other person's character.