Sam Smith
One of the tricks that mediators use is to turn a lose-lose situation into a win-win situation. Another is to expand the options in the deal. An example of these in the debt crisis dispute – albeit not necessarily the best ones – would be for the GOP to allow the Bush tax cuts for the rich to expire and for the Democrats to allow the individual healthcare mandate to be repealed. Both sides would win, both sides would concede something important, the country’s economy would be saved, and two of the worst pieces of legislation of recent times would disappear.
