Washington (CNN) – Congressional leaders could learn a thing or two from the National Football League. At least, according to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
"I hope we gave a little lesson to the people in Washington because the debt ceiling is a lot easier to fix than this was," he said Monday at a presser announcing an end to the months-long stalemate between owners and players.
A committee of league players met in Washington to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement following a weekend of communication between representatives for owners and players. It was ratified Monday. And though President Obama also met with congressional leaders Saturday, no deal was reached to raise the amount of money the nation can borrow.
The president will address the nation on the debt ceiling late Monday following the introduction of two competing plans by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
From CNN Politics
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Really, Tell it to Wisconsin, who took away collective bargaining rights, as well as other States who have or are
trying to. Tell it to the Tea Party who will take down America at any cost for their own selfish agendas. If we
could have cut off Congress' salaries, dispensed with their health care plans, eliminated all of their perks (otherwise
known as cheating the taxpayers with their overseas family vacations, et al), then we would have had a solution
on one day. We, the American public, do not, apparently have the bargaining chips you guys have, until we
can vote – and that is the best solution of all. If this was baseball, we could "collectively" say "yer out"!
Yeah, and while you're talking smack, how about bringing down the prices of those NFL tickets to help people out in this bad economy. Now that these billionaires have negotiated for more money, they think the debt ceiling is easier. LOL
Please spare er the parody. Greedy owners and very overpaid players = can't afford to go to a game for the normal working class stiff.
Here is some food for thought....You wonder why the Mexicans want to come over here to America where they can work and make money (any work, and most of the work is work we americans don't want to do anyway) It's because over in Mexico in their country there is the RICH and the POOR – NO MIDDLE CLASS and that is what is happening here in AMERICA....The GOP is out to do the same to this country, give every tax break to the Rich and put all the Taxes on the backs of the middle class, give the Rich all the loopholes, take away the entitlements that help the less fortunate, take away the Seniors Social Security and Medicare. We always hear about how we are leaving our children and grandchildren this burden of debt....It's the Republicans, because you can't even compromise one inch.......so what if our kids are left with this debt burden, they are going to be to stupid to know it because our Education System in this country has hit rock bottom.....but you can bet the Repulicans and their kids will go to Private Schools, great Colleges while the rest of Americas kids will continue to fall behind ...... Remember it's the Republicans that wants to do away with any Federal Education Programs........So we can either take our country back from these Republicans and the radical Tea Party, or we can end up in the same shoes as Mexico.....ONLY THE RICH and the rest of us POOR.......no MIDDLE CLASS
Love it! If a roomful of dumb jocks and greedy millionaires can come to agreement – then Congress surely can as well. Time to leave party politics at the door and roll up your sleeves and do something good.
Washington should take notes from a bunch of millionaires running around in football uniforms? Please! I pay the taxes that financed at least two of the stadiums that they play in.
When i seen Mr Kraft's comment i could not have agreed more. The Republican party needs to get off it's high horse and realise that they are the minority party everywhere except the House of Represenatives.
That was a dumb comment by Kraft. Trying to figure out how to split a 10 bill surplus should have taken a week. Government is in a whole different ocean.
Not if one side of the bargaining table says "NO!!!" to anything you ever say, sometimes before you even finish your thought in an effort to oppose you at all costs, even if it's detrimental to our country.
I think the debt ceiling is not as easy as you think Mr. Kraft.
Washington could learn from both the NFL lockout and the gov't shutdown in MN. Unfortunately, they probably won't. Too many pledges signed, too many special interests.
I am sure thousands of NFL fans have taken notes and will never again support the NFL. Sports teams run like the Republicans would like to run the country, the rich folks get all the breaks and the mimimun wage ground workers who do the hard work suffer the most.Health care for the rich,disease for the middle class.
Corralling a bunch of spoiled jocks and old rich white men into an agreement over how much they should get paid for tossing around a stuffed piece of pig skin was harder than authorizing trillions of dollars in taxpayer money and negotiating the future of entitlement programs, taxes, and the social safety net? Perspective, please.
Actually, the country would be a lot better off, without football.
COmparing apples with oranges. The NFL and the owners have to come together or the NFL fails and they lose money and the fans.
The rethugs led by the teabaggers, boner, cantor and mitchell, among others, don't care about the people of this Nation.
Naive and stupid! Ms. Stewart's article makes the assumption that our nation has the same deep pockets as the NFL's billionaires/owners. WE ARE GOING BROKE!!!! This article is worthy of any high school newspaper.
Ok, I will nominate the owners as the gop, and the players as the Dems. Owners will pay a bit more in taxes, and the players will take a bit less in compensation, and insure the health of those that are older and or infirm, and they get to play next week. Only problem is, the tyeabaggers cant play sports. They cry after every hit.
Yeah, and I bet if they wanted to raise taxes on the players salary, the NFL would never host another game again.
Really? Mr. Kraft has some nerve. It took the league months to work out an agreement that only serves to keep both owners and players rich, while the consumer, aka the fan, will surely have to pay for any and all concessions made during these talks. The NFL has gotten too greedy and the sport has become so commercialized that it is embarassing us as a country in the face of all the other things going on in this world. If players and owners can continue to profit this huge off of the fans than I think it is time we cut spending in social programs cause obviously Americans have the extra money to throw away.
Really, that's the pot calling the kettle black! The NFL owners need to stick to running their own business's better before trying to tackle our national problems. Mr Kraft is correct however on one point. This problem should have been dealt with a long time ago. We are one of only two countries with a national debt ceiling. Why is that? Because, the other party not in power can cause a little political heat for the other. Nothing but a bunch of politics. Hey POLITIANS, do your country a favor. Quit the politics a usual and do your JOB! Sometimes even if doesn't help your own political party. YMMV.
Hey, Kraft, and a lot less important...
What a crock. The arrogance of a bunch of millionaire owners and players to say that their little insignificant dog and pony show is more complex that the fate of the largest economy in the world.
If the NFL and all its minions disappeared tomorrow, the minimal 'poof' would be like an ant's fart in the forest. For the US to default on its financial obligations will ripple through the world's economy and cause untold damage for our future generations.
They already have, just as you have done before, Union Contracting Lesson 1. Wait until the last minute and push and shove and wait until you get what you demand... Then publicize how generous you were..
It took you guys 4 months to find an agreement. The Congress has had this debate for only about one month. Let's give them a temporary debt ceiling raise and then set a deadline for a few months from now. If no deal then, then Shut'er down!!!!!!!!
The football owner had to settle. It was getting close to him losing money. The repubs already have their payoffs, with the promise of more if they undo the new regulations. If they had to compromise to get their graft, they would.