Earnest: Compromise Is the ‘Name of the Game’ with GOP in Control of Congress

"The most substantial pieces of legislation that we hope to get done will necessarily be compromises. It doesn't necessarily mean that those pieces of legislation will include things that we strenuously oppose, it just may be that they are pieces of legislation that we feel like don't go quite far enough, but are certainly a positive step in the right direction. But I think either of those scenarios fits what would be unacceptable definition of a compromise.

And I would anticipate that when we're operating in an environment where we have Republicans in charge of the Congress and a Democrat in charge of the White House that compromise is going to be the name of the game and I certainly will hope, and the president certainly hopes, that Republicans are in -- will pursue our work together in that sphere."