Johnson praises panel’s bipartisan spirit
Gathering drew eight presidential hopefuls
Hernando, Miss., Mayor Chip Johnson says he was impressed by the spirit of bipartisanship he saw at a New Hampshire panel discussion in which he participated with eight of the 2016 presidential contenders.
Johnson, a Republican, was on a panel of local elected officials from across the nation who met with the presidential hopefuls as part of the No Labels Problem Solver Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire. About 1,500 people participated Oct. 12 in the day of panels, discus- sions and forums aimed at breaking gridlock and moving the nation forward.
During the panel discussion in which he participated, Johnson said the presidential contenders who accepted the invitation listened to the panel’s pitch that they sign on to the four goals of the No Labels National Strategic Agenda: creating 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years, securing Social Security and Medicare for another 75 years, balancing the federal budget by 2030 and making the nation energy secure by 2024. “I don’t know that any of them actually signed on before leaving,” Johnson said, “but they all seemed genuinely enthusiastic and were willing to be there and participate.”
The eight presidential candidates who met with the panel were Republicans Donald Trump, John Kasich, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie and George Pataki, along with Democrats Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb and Martin O’Malley.
Johnson was the only MidSouth elected official participating on the panel that interviewed the presidential candidates. Other panelists, both Democrats and Republicans, included another mayor, city council members and legislators.
Johnson said he thought it was encouraging that the convention was able to bring together presidential candidates from both parties.
The mayor also said he learned some principles from the gathering that should be useful locally. As for those who might criticize compromise as selling out, Johnson referred to the remarks of one of the speakers he heard at the convention:
“We’re like a building — we’ve got pillars and paint. You don’t compromise on the pillars, but you can compromise on what color to paint it.”