WASHINGTON D.C. (trfnews.i234.me) TRF News’s Neil Berg talks with former North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, regarding the state of our Country. You might be surprised to hear what he has to say! Watch Saturday morning!
all right joining me as a former North Dakota senator congressman byron Dorgan and we’re going to talk about the Trump administration the state of the country for a bit first of all what do you doing now oh I’m doing a lot of everything I’m doing some consulting I’ve just finished the manuscript on my assistant that’ll be published in November I’m doing some teaching and I’m on some about four boards of directors in various parts of the country so I’ve been a pretty busy guy all right you’re not the kind of guy that just wanted to sit back and watch some TV no no I like to keep busy all right let’s talk about what’s going on a little bit I don’t I think no matter what side of the aisle you’re on Democrat Republican Trump supporter or not it seems like our country has become so device divisive mean-spirited arguments between folks that aren’t politicians it seems like we’re maybe not one but two nations under Trump do you think there’s a that’s going on in our country well I worry about it obviously I mean this is a circumstance where you know it seems to me that it’s hard to have a disagreement or even a debate about public policy without finding that people disrespect each other I mean you know you you can disagree without being disagreeable and I think that you know the lubrication in a democracy like ours is compromised and you know a couple people get together and they they may think differently about issues but they you want to try to find some common ground and that’s what compromises about compromise these days is considered a four-letter word by some people and that’s unfortunate and it shows up in the fact that government isn’t working very well you know as we see it’s been quite a few indictments surrounding the Trump administration and the more big news every day do you think our country we’re moving into some dangerous waters here well I don’t know I mean not none of us know the specifics of the Moller investigation the investigation is important however because you know we’ve seen some significant issues with respect to the Russians they they clearly interfered with the an election by which Donald Trump was elected in 2016 there was clear interference there and so there needs to be a significant investigation did that interference happen with some people involved in the Trump campaign who knows but we’ll find out I mean the mower investigation will tell us that I worry about the you know kind of the destruction of the norms that exist in our country though I mean Democrats and Republicans have to work together and we have to respect each other and and I worry that you know there’s there’s a kind of a coarseness and a you know denigration of politeness and compromise and so on that I think is destructive to our country’s interest you know I read a lot over the years our different political leaders and you know and how it was done and I think it was changing towards the end of your term also that maybe folks go in the back room at the end of the day have a drink and Worksop mount and make it work but this doesn’t seem like that happens anymore it doesn’t it’s more tribal politics I think you know and everybody’s worried about getting a primary if they don’t do this or that and you know if they speak out against something Donald Trump as president has suggested they’re worried about being challenged back home you know look there it’s it’s just a fact that much of what has come from this new president it’s pretty troublesome you know he suggests it right at the start let’s ban all Muslims from coming into the United States he says I support torture he says maybe we should have Saudi the Saudis in the Japanese and the South Koreans be able to acquire nuclear weapons he calls a woman horseface he criticizes john mccain for being captured the you know john was a war hero I mean you know you can go through a whole series of things that suggest kind of a denigration of good behavior at least from my perspective I know there will be people that disagree with that but well I’m worried about it and now the government shutdown as you know at least a portion of the government and it’s all over this issue of a wall well you know what I voted for some fencing for some critical few miles here and there but I never thought we should be building a you know like the Great Wall of China from border to border that made no sense to me that’s not the way that you’re going to solve an immigration problem all right so I guess we’re just gonna you know I I grew up I was in high school I guess during Watergate does our country feel at all kind of like that again or not to you well it’s very divided no question about that and I you know I mean I was around in Watergate early on but you know the result was of course we had a president resign we had a vice president who was convicted of criminal behavior and he resigned and and so but we came through it and you know Gerald Ford became the new president and you know America moves on this country has been through difficult times I have you know I sort of go back to what Warren Buffett said you’d lose a lot of money betting against this country this country’s best interest is always recognizing that the American people have a good soul and good sense of right and wrong and while we get off track a little here and there you know what I’m going to bet on this country fixing it and I think it’s as difficult as you and I might think things are at the moment I think you know new leaders strong leaders will emerge Republicans and Democrats and both will provide you know good things for the country in terms of public policy and we’ll move ahead okay thanks for taking the time to talk with me it’s good to visit with you thanks a lot I’m Neil Berg reporting for I news TV
Saturday Morning: Discussing National Unity Under President Trump with Former ND Senator Byron Dorgan
