The politics of the American family

During the recent kickoff of her campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, Hillary Clinton spoke of the importance of mending relationships within American politics. 

“We need a political system that produces results by solving problems that hold us back, not one overwhelmed by extreme partisanship and inflexibility,” Clinton said. “We Americans may differ, bicker, stumble, and fall. But we are at our best when we pick each other up, when we have each other’s back. Like any family, our American family is strongest when we cherish what we have in common and fight back against those who would drive us apart.” 

{mosads}It’s true what they say, you can’t pick your family. And Congress is much the same: though selected by their constituents, members of Congress don’t get more of a say than anyone else about whom they serve with, and must learn to get along.     

Imagine the accomplishments if our lawmakers “cherished what we have in common and fight back against those who drive us apart,” as Clinton suggests. Politics in Washington would look very different. 

Lately, our country’s politicians have become so entrenched in partisan politics, so dedicated to the party line that they have forgotten how to govern. Only recently have we seen signs that Congress has recognized the need to work together to enact meaningful legislation. Members who aren’t known for sharing common ground have put forth bipartisan legislation in Medicare, trade, education and infrastructure finance. 

A commitment to bipartisanship is vital to the success of our nation, and Clinton has recognized that need. She is not the only candidate to do so. From Lindsey Graham to Martin O’Malley to Jeb Bush, presidential hopefuls are beginning to acknowledge in their speeches that changing the culture in Washington is an essential task for anyone interested in assuming office. 

As a co-founder of No Labels, a non-profit committed to fostering tangible bipartisanship in D.C., I am pleased to see this trend and am confident that our organization can help accelerate it. 

In June, a Senate hearing focused on the National Strategic Agenda – a framework for problem solving – that aims to foster collaboration between Congress and the next president. The National Strategic Agenda’s goals include creating 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years, securing Social Security and Medicare for another 75 years, balancing the federal budget by 2030 and making America energy secure by 2024. 

We want to see our next president committed to problem solving– to working with Congress regardless of party. To that end, we already have an army of supporters in New Hampshire campaigning not for a candidate, but for a problem-solving agenda. 

Politicians often promise to unite a divided nation, but they never tell us how.  By committing to the National Strategic Agenda and a process for implementing it, today’s presidential can begin to fill that gap.

Galston is a co-founder of No Labels and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.