Fostering Bipartisanship & Civility

To my members of Congress, I understand if these reforms seem a bit superficial. They don’t seem like they guarantee any real change. However, as politics become more and more divided, something must be attempted to develop some bipartisanship. These are reasonable reforms that should foster relationships between opposing parties and decrease the angry rhetoric on Capitol Hill. Most would take very little time to implement, so this is not a massive overhaul of a system. Anyway, despite your likely reticence to put forth such seemingly simple reforms, it is worth it even if it creates just one good relationship in DC. That is how far gone we are and that is why we need these reforms more than ever.

I want to thank you for the efforts being made to create a more civil government. I do believe that civility starts with you and our process of governing. As someone who normally identifies as moderate, I don’t know that there is a place for my views anymore. I do not like the incessant name-calling, put-downs, and hype. Returning to the civilized and respectful discussion is imperative. Thank you for these steps and good luck!

I admit the thought of bipartisanship initially makes me feel skeptical because I have not seen a spirit of bipartisanship in years. At present, the Democratic Party supports policies that to me are very extreme. The views of the parties are so significantly different that I feel that there are some issues that it seems impossible to find consensus. However, I am not opposed to simple reforms like seating, meetings, and debates that have been mentioned. Personally I find the debates in Congress are a joke. The members seem to merely be grandstanding to get their point across. It’s simply political theater. Using and Oxford style would be a good experiment. To the extent that retreats or any other ways for members to meet is found, I think it should not be on the taxpayers dime. The members of Congress have so many perks that to the average voter paying their own expenses to visit other districts seems reasonable.

I do not envy your position in today’s heated political climate. Despite the seemingly intractable political conflict in our society, it moves me greatly to hear when decency triumphs over partisan noise and fear-mongering. Every time such a story surfaces, it gives me hope for the restoration of the people’s faith in government, which lately seems to have been driven to new lows. Our current party model, with its separation of forces on either side and rare unscripted interaction, is more reminiscent of a conflict zone than a system of government.

I feel that if all members regularly put themselves in each other’s shoes it would broaden their views. If they get to know each other’s families more they would have a better understanding of differences. If they sit next to each other more instead of across the aisle, they could come together better. We need more common ground to stand on and more understanding of differences to bring our beloved USA back together again. I really think too that labels should be removed and only the best interest of our beautiful country be first priority of all involved!

Education does not end with being elected to office. The “Overhaul the On-boarding Process and Provide Continuing Education for Members” is vital in my humble opinion for successful integration into office. The term Freshman carries with it the understanding there is much to learn.

I believe Continuity of Government and Congressional Operations, Reform the Budget and Appropriation Process, and Congressional Schedule and Calendar are the more important sections, the latter being the most important. Members of Congress must be available to serve their districts. Without this enhancement, many of the suggested recommendations are futile as many require time. I believe the recommendations which deal with enhancing efficiency through technology could save time to counter some of the hardships facing the members and Congress. Creating a HR hub would streamline processes and provide continuity. I believe incoming members should be able to hire one person; work done on the front end would enable a smoother transfer inclusive of more immediate efficacy.

On the onboarding process, the ability to hire a transitional staff member would allow the member to come on board more quickly and increase effectiveness. The ability of members of congress to work effectively in the face of crisis from remote locations is essential and all members need the technology and training to perform an any location.

Nobody likes having someone look over their shoulder in a manner of speaking while they work. But it’s become very apparent lately that without some sort of oversight the Senate and the House simply don’t get anything done in anything that remotely resembles a timely manner. Therefore I support all of the select committee recommendations and hope for a day when both the House and the Senate are operating in an efficient and effective way.