With his victory over longtime Rep. Dan Lungren now official, Ami Bera is heading to Washington as the newly-elected congressman for the 7th District of California. While Bera’s triumph is a testimony to his political skills and personal appeal, his victory also demonstrates the public’s hunger for a new breed of political leadership, based around problem-solving and underscored by Bera’s championing of the No Labels-endorsed “No Budget, No Pay Act.”
This common sense legislation says that if Congress doesn’t do their job and pass a responsible budget, they don’t get paid. As Bera said on the campaign trail, “Most Americans work hard and play by the rules. We pay the bills, we make tough choices, and we hold up our end of the deal. It may be hard sometimes, but it’s what we always do. It’s time for Congress to play by the same rules as everyone else. We need leaders who will put the people first to break through the gridlock and move forward.”
According to Mark McKinnon, No Labels Co-Founder “Ami Bera’s victory in the congressional race in CA-7 is also a victory for problem-solving leadership in Washington. As indicated by his embrace of ‘No Budget, No Pay,” Bera is the type of leader Americans need and want in Washington. No Labels is proud to congratulate Ami Bera on his victory and to stand behind him and other Members of both parties dedicated to problem solving not point scoring.”
As the Fresno Beenoted, Bera made “No Budget, No Pay” a “central theme of his campaign.” In the campaign’s home stretch, Bera’s campaign released an ad titled, “No Pay,” which highlighted the absurdity of Members of Congress getting paid despite their failure to pass a budget each year. In an Elk Grove Citizen op-ed published in early October, Bera touted his endorsement of “No Budget, No Pay,” saying: “Congress must be held accountable for doing the jobs the people elect them to do. That’s why I pledge to sponsor ‘No Budget, No Pay,’ which would ensure that if members of Congress don’t do their job and pass a responsible budget, they don’t get paid. And that’s why I will work relentlessly with anyone, regardless of party, who is serious about creating jobs and rebuilding an economy that works for the middle class.”
In contrast to Bera, Rep. Lungren denied the legislation even a hearing in the relevant committee he chairs in Congress. As the Fresno Bee reported in a fact check of relevant campaign issues, “A congressional committee chaired by Lungren has not granted requests from other members to hold a hearing on the legislation, which calls for withholding pay for members of Congress if a federal budget resolution is not approved by the deadline. Bera has made his pledge to support the legislation a central theme of his campaign”
Said McKinnon, “Democracy works, after all. Ami Bera clearly understood the power of the public’s desire for action on common-sense measures like ‘No Budget, No Pay’ and recognized that embrace of the issue would also touch upon voters’ desire for something other than the status quo in Washington. Voters in CA-7 and across the nation want their elected representatives to stop fighting and start fixing.”
In addition to “No Budget, No Pay,” No Labels supports a range of common-sense proposals designed to reinvigorate problem-solving in Washington. On January 14, 2013 at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, New York, NY, No Labels will host a meeting titled, “Meeting to Make America Work,” to discuss how we can move forward on problem solving in Washington. At the meeting, No Labels will unveil two national leaders – one Republican, one Democrat – who will help guide the movement in 2013 and the organization will introduce a group of congressional Members who have signed on as members of the “Problem Solvers Bloc” in Congress. Learn more about No Labels and the meeting at http://meetforamerica.com/.
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 8:35 AM ET
Last night, I had the incredible opportunity of playing straight man to The Daily Show‘s hilarious Al Madrigal in a segment of the Comedy Channel’s most popular franchise — and one of my all-time favorite shows.
As Madrigal exposed, No Labels — the national grassroots movement I co-founded, that involves 600,000 Democrats, Republican, and Independents in efforts to promote problem-solving to replace hyper-partisanship — is really a front group for immigrant harassment, forced Chick-fil-a feeding, and spinning in circles.
Or something like that.
When the show was first run, I tweeted my commentary simultaneously. You can read my wacky insights by clicking here.
So if you missed it last night; now, here’s my moment of zen:
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 6:00 PM ET
Yep, you read that right.
Tonight at 11:00 PM EST, I will be appearing on one of my all-time favorite television programs:The Daily Show, starring Jon Stewart, on Comedy Central.
Daily Show correspondent Al Madrigal interviewed me this summer at the No Labels headquarters in Washington, DC for a segment on hyper-partisanship. I had planned to make a passionate case for Make Congress Work, our 12-point plan to help transform Washington from hyper-partisanship to problem solving.
Of course, this is Comedy Central. And we spent about three hours in an “interview” that can only be characterized as a comedy improv session.
I had to comply with 2 rules: No jokes. No laughing.
And that was a lot more difficult than it sounds — Madrigal and his crew are really, really funny.
The scariest part about tonight’s airing is that I have no idea what parts of the interview survived the editing floor. And if you have ever seen the pretaped segments on The Daily Show, you can anticipate a whole lot of making fun of… yours truly.
If you’d like to experience the show with me — virtually speaking — I will be running a live feed of my spontaneous tweets here at this site as the show runs tonight at 11. You can join me with your comments, critiques, and put downs (keep it civil!) by using the hashtag #RecoveringPol from your personal Twitter account. Your comments will appear live aside mine here at The Recovering Politician home page.
If you are fast asleep at 11 — don’t worry, there will be many other chances to watch me implode on national television.
The show will re-run again tomorrow (Friday, November 16) at 1:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM (all EST). And, of course, I will have the clip up here at The Recovering Politician as soon as technology permits.
So join me tonight (or tomorrow) on The Daily Show. It could be the last time you will ever see me in public…
In his semi-regular gig as American politics expert for Canada’s CTV News — the CNN plus MSNBC plus Fox News of the Great White North — The RP spoke yesterday to the residents of his wife’s homeland about how the grassroots movement he co-founded, No Labels, is working to transform Washington from hyper-partisanship to problem-solving.
To sign onto the No Labels’ plan to Make Congress Work, click here and add your energy to the growing movement which now includes nearly 600,000 Democrats., Republicans and Independents, all who believe we must occasionally put aside our labels to do what is right for our nation.
And for The RP on CTV News, let’s go to the videotape:
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET
In my latest column for The Huffington Post, I explore how average citizens — you and me — can influence policymakers to promote problem-solving, instead of hyper-partisan paralysis.
Although we’ve re-elected President Barack Obama, much of the president’s success depends on what happens in Congress. If we want our country to move forward over the next four years, we need Congress and the president to put political point-scoring aside and work to solve our country’s most pressing problems.
The most immediate challenge is the fiscal cliff, which threatens to push America back into recession, unless Democrats and Republicans in Congress — working with the White House — can cast aside partisan interests in favor of a balanced solution. Each side will have no choice but to support some things it doesn’t like and take political risks. But with the fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year, time is running out and tough choices are necessary.
It has become clear that fundamental change is needed to make Congress work more efficiently and effectively to address this cliff and more of America’s most pressing problems. Given how little time our representatives spend actually working together, it’s no surprise that breakthroughs are few and far between. House members spend almost as much time in their home district or traveling as they do legislating. Instead of working at problem solving in Congress, they are focused on partisan infighting and planning the next campaign.
In order to truly solve problems, lawmakers need to come out from behind their bunkers and start talking with colleagues on the other side of the aisle. It’s happened before. President Ronald Reagan and Democratic Speaker Tip O’Neill put partisan interests aside to shore up Social Security’s finances. A Democratic Congress and President Dwight Eisenhower agreed to build the interstate highway system. More recently, President Bill Clinton worked with Republicans in Congress to reform welfare programs.
We can’t wait for Washington to get to work. That’s why No Labels — a growing grassroots movement of about 600,000 Democrats, Republicans and independents who favor a new politics of problem solving — has put together two common-sense action plans — Make Congress Work! and Make the Presidency Work!These plans would improve communications across partisan lines, modify or eliminate rules that promote gridlock, and establish new timetables for taking action. Most importantly, they would foster a new environment of leadership in Washington.
A famous scientist with a hair style I envy once wrote, “Everything should be kept as simple as possible but not simpler.”
Simplicity, a novel concept that couldn’t possibly be true in exercise, could it? I mean with all the 3am infomercials about insane workouts using everything from your body weight to the kitchen sink and weight loss products that promise “instant results.” There is no such thing as “instant” results but there is a strategy of simplicity I tend employ. In continuation with this blog and all its wisdom, I would like to take the time and share some knowledge with those people looking for that perfect weight loss book or that magic cure to get rid of love handles. Well now you’re asking how I lose weight. How do I keep the weight off? In my career as a personal trainer I have realized one important thing: keep it simple. Nutrition and weight loss are very simple. Just follow my instructions.
1. Don’t over eat. Figure out why and when YOU do overeat. Is it an emotional reason? A lack of planning? Maybe just a lack of knowledge and accountability. We don’t get better unless we know what is preventing us from turning the corner, so access yourself and stop overeating. Keep it simple.
2.Carbs are not bad they are your #1 energy, use them as such. Stay away from foods with a lot of sugar, choose oatmeal over donuts, broccoli over bread and apples over bananas. Keep it simple.
2A. Get rid of the sugar in your diet. You don’t need it, its only making problems worse, say goodbye! Keep it simple.
3. Eat smaller portions. Learn when to say no to seconds and thirds. Your body does not have to eat that entire pizza, save the rest for the dog, I am sure he gets hungry too. Keep it simple.
4. Dessert is a habit, not a physiological need for survival. Habits can be broken. Just say no to the banana split. Keep it simple.
5. When eating out (if you must!), say no to Whoppers, Big Macs, and Thick burgers. Say yes to Grilled Chicken. When asked, “If you want fries with that,” Say my trainer said no. Keep it simple.
6. Eat smaller and more frequent meals. Humans are periodic eaters and continual metabolizers. In order to increase that metabolism we have to eat more frequently. For example, in order for the fire to burn it needs wood, same thing applies to your metabolism. Keep it simple.
This is by no means an all-inclusive list but you get the point. Weight loss is not that difficult nor is it that complicated; it just requires a little knowledge and a lot of gumption. If you want to continue to eat whatever you want you have two options:
Move a lot (a lot!)
Or keep gaining weight year after year after year.
Then one day you might realize that trainer guy was right. Keep it simple!
The RP sent the following message to the 600,000 person army of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who comprise the No Labels movement. Please read, and if you agree, sign on to this important cause:
The election is over, and our leaders are talking about working across the aisle — but will they follow through?
The stakes have rarely been higher. Neither side has the numbers to push through an agenda without compromise, and the price of failure would be severe. Once again, they have no choice but to work together.
Speaker John Boehner said, “If there was one mandate that came out of the election, it was find a way to work together to address our problems.” President Barack Obama agreed, inviting congressional leaders tothe White House to work on a solution to the fiscal cliff.
More than a half-million Democrats, Republicans and independents have coalesced behind this cause. Washington can and will work, but only if the people demand it. That’s what we’re doing.
