The RP: How Citizen Action Can Promote Problem Solving

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.

SPOILER ALERT: It involves No Labels.

Here’s an excerpt:

There’s a leadership crisis in Washington.

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.

Click here to read the full column.