Mourdock: Compromise is Democrats Agreeing With Republicans
A day after defeating six-time incumbent Richard Lugar in Indiana's primary, tea party-backed Richard Mourdock said that he believed "compromise" was Democrats joining with Republicans on most issues.
“What I've said about compromise and bipartisanship, I hope to build a conservative majority in the United States Senate so bipartisanship becomes Democrats joining Republicans to roll back the size of government, reduce the bureaucracy, lower taxes and get America moving again,” he said on CNN's Starting Point on Wednesday.
When host Soledad O'Brien noted that was actually the opposite of compromise, Mourdock averred: “Well, it is the definition of political effectiveness.”
He added: “We are at that point where one side or the other has to win this argument. One side or the other will dominate.”
In a statement released after conceding the race, Lugar assailed Mourdock for an "unrelenting partisan mindset" that he said is "irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance."
Mourdock cited Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah as lawmakers he might model himself after.
“The fact is, you never compromise on principles," he said. "If people on the far left, they have a principle to standby, they should never compromise; those of us on the right should not either.”
