Vice President Biden said that if President Obama is
reelected, the Republican “fever” will break and some level of bipartisanship will
return to Washington.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Sunday, Biden
said he’s already been talking with a dozen GOP senators and more than
two-dozen House members who have indicated they’d be more open to compromise
after the election.
“I think you’re going to see the fever break,” Biden said in
the interview. “I think you’re going to see Obama’s reelected, the idea ‘we
can’t let that happen’ is done, and now it’s going to be OK.”
Biden sounded a bipartisan note Sunday as both Obama and his
opponent, Mitt Romney, made closing arguments claiming they will be the better leader to reach
across the aisle.
The 112th Congress, with a Republican House and Democratic
Senate, and White House have been notoriously gridlocked, and threatened both a
government shutdown and debt default.
The White House has blamed Republicans in Congress for the
partisan gridlock, while the GOP says that Obama is at fault.
Biden expressed his hope that if Obama were to win reelection, the Tea Party movement would lose its grip on the GOP.
“We need leaders that can control their party,” Biden said.
“I could name for you — I think there’s a dozen Republican senators,
and I think I could name you two and a half- or three-dozen House members, who
once this election is over, they kind of get a get-out-of-jail-free card,” he said.
“Because up to now it’s been, 'If you don’t stick with this hard-right edge, then we’re
going to primary you.' "
