Independent Insurance Agents Find Some Pundits, Politicians in Washington Agree

News flash: a conservative and a liberal in Washington agree — on quite a few matters, in fact.

Before an audience of independent insurance agents, commentators Tucker Carlson, a conservative, and Paul Begala, a liberal, agreed that the coming midterm elections could be difficult for Democrats.

Carlson predicted gains for Republicans and Begala did not disagree during a panel at the annual legislative conference of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (Big “I”). Both stopped short of predicting that Republicans, who hold the majority in the House, will be able to wrestle control of the Senate from Democrats.

Tucker is co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller and hosts FOX and Friends Weekend. He formerly co-hosted CNN’s Crossfire and his own show on MSNBC.

Begala is a Newsweek/Daily Beast columnist and a CNN contributor. The former adviser to President Bill Clinton teaches at Georgetown University and is a senior adviser to Priorities USA Action, a progressive PAC.

Carlson said Democrats will be hurt by having to run on the Affordable Care Act, although he predicted Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who faces a tough re-election, will survive.

Begala said history does not favor Democrats in the midterms. Only two presidents who have been in office for six years, as President Obama has been, have ever gained seats, he said. However, while the outlook is not great for Democrats right now, Begala predicted that better news in coming months on the ACA and the economy could help Democrats.

Begala said he thinks Sen. Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat, is in trouble but he also thinks Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will lose either in the Republican primary or the general election.

Big “I” CEO Bob Rusbuldt, acting as panel moderator, criticized the Obama Administration for modifying the ACA by executive order while ignoring bipartisan calls for changes such as guidelines for navigators or changing the definition of full time employees.

Begala agreed that Obama and Democrats should listen to suggestions for improvements but said the current political atmosphere does not allow for compromise.

“We are not more polarized than we were under Bill Clinton but we are more paralyzed. The legislative process has broken down,” Begala said. On the Republican side, those who compromise get challenged in primaries or otherwise “fired,” he said.

“You can’t love the Constitution and oppose compromise,” Begala said. “The Constitution is a compromise.”

Carlson said there is no overlap between the Democratic and Republican parties today. “There is not a single Republican who is more liberal than the most conservative Democrat,” he said.

Bipartisan Talks

Bipartisanship was also the focus of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman.

McCarthy told the association’s members that they can use their political power to help make America’s future their own. “Don’t blame somebody else for the problem,” said McCarthy, who started his own business when he was just 19 years old. “We should not leave our problems for another generation — we need to face them head on.”

McCarthy said the nation must develop a national energy policy, as well as reform the tax code, education, immigration and government itself by tackling unnecessary regulation.

“We have to be able to compete,” he said.

Israel cited five trends he said will affect America in the next two decades: a booming global middle class; rapid expansion of the elderly population; increasing movement back into cities; “breathtaking” acceleration of technology; and an “alarming” increase in demand for natural resources.

Both representatives suggested that the solution to the nation’s challenges is bipartisan politics. “Washington is not just the capital of United States of America — it’s the capital of blame,” Israel said. “That blame may make us feel good in terms of our partisan gratifications, but that blame is not going to put one person to work — and it’s not going to save a single small business.”