Portman says he would have accepted revenue hike to get a supercommittee deal

“I tried every angle,” Portman told Cleveland Ohio’s Plain Dealer in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “I spent a lot of time sitting down with Democrats and understanding their points of view.”

The freshman senator from Ohio also said he was willing to stick out his neck and accept tax hikes in order to come to an agreement.

“I was supportive not just of putting tax reform and new revenue on the table, but also trying to accommodate Democrats with their concerns on the spending side,” he said. 

In particular Portman said he focused on a personal approach with the hopes that friendships forged across the aisle would allow the lawmakers to overcome idealogical differences but his efforts were in vain.

“I was convinced that the best way to achieve results was to allow for those candid conversations to take place,” said Portman. “”At the end of the day, all the best negotiating techniques can’t overcome the most substantive policy differences.”