Politico – February 17, 2017
Former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, who was central to the same 1990 bipartisan deficit reduction talks with Michel and the Bush administration, said in his own statement:
“Bob was faithful to his conservative ideals, but was at the same time a great-hearted pragmatist who was a firm believer in cooperation, compromise, and friendship—all key ingredients in making our Congress and our other institutions work…Bob’s love for the American system of government and his belief in the United States as a force for good never waned.”