How Veterans, Plane Travel, and Sausages Lead to Less Partisanship

Congress is often criticized for being “out of touch” with the American public. One biting critique is that Congress just doesn’t “look like” the constituents they represent. Its members are overwhelmingly more male, white, educated, and older than the general U.S. population. And while this holds true for most of Congress, there is one faction where it is not true: Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.   One faction in Congress DOES look like America - The Fulcrum 

Since their decisive losses in the 2024 election, Democrats have been seeking a way out of the political wilderness — to fight back against the deluge of President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s attacks on the federal government, vital programs for constituents, and democracy itself. Regrettably, most of the strategies Democratic leaders have advocated have been misguided.  Democrats need to rewrite their opposition playbook - Roll Call 

It was after midnight, and I was exhausted from the events of the previous 24 hours. It was January 7, 2021, and I watched in horror the events of January 6. It was disgusting that the cradle of democracy would be so defiled. But at 12:01 AM, I was given hope again because, on my television, the most wonderfully boring reality show was playing out on CNN. The Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were presiding over the counting and certification of votes for the next president of the United States.  Weep on January 6, but celebrate January 7 - The Fulcrum 

We have many reasons to be cynical about our democracy these days. Hyper-partisanship interferes with the functioning of American democratic institutions. Left- and right-leaning media continue to spoon-feed an endless stream of biased news, depressing an already too-depressed population. And both political parties are fractured and dysfunctional in unprecedented ways. Yet, even amid that doom and gloom, I recently witnessed extraordinary examples of civic innovation from the next generation.  The next round of civic innovators offers hope for democracy - The Fulcrum 

A surprising example of political collaboration revealed itself to me during the Thanksgiving break, and it came from an unlikely source: a video game. Like many parents this season, I welcomed the return of a college student from his freshman year at a Virginia college. And like many teenagers, one of his first go-to activities was to challenge his high school sister to a video game competition.  A better recipe for holiday meals and politics - The Fulcrum 

The college basketball world got a jolt to its system this month when beloved University of Virginia coach Tony Bennett announced his retirement. A big loss for the Cavaliers, and even a loss for the sport. When great leaders or players leave an industry, it can cause significant harm for their organization and the people they serve. Similarly, at the end of the 118th Congress, the House and Senate will lose a greater number of “superstar players” than at almost any other time in recent memory. Congress is losing some of its best players this year - The Fulcrum 

One of the last places you’d expect to see innovation in the workplace is in the halls of Congress. One lawmaker described the institution this way: Congress is “a 19th century institution often using 20th century technology to solve 21st century problems.” That is one of the reasons the Congressional Management Foundation sought to create competition among members of Congress with a Democracy Award for Innovation and Modernization.  Finding innovators in an unlikely place: Congress - The Fulcrum 

Our nation’s capital is known for many things — but good management practices are not among them. Stories regularly surface of bizarre tales of harassment and abuse by members of Congress. An Instagram feed a few years ago unearthed dozens of stories by staff outing less-than-desirable managers and members for their bad practices. But what about the good leaders and good managers?  The best bosses in an unusual work environment: Capitol Hill - The Fulcrum 

There is probably no more important concept in the compact between elected officials and those who elect them than accountability. One of the founding principles of American democracy is that members of Congress are ultimately accountable to their constituents, both politically and morally. Most members of Congress get this, but how they demonstrate and implement that concept varies. The two winners of the Congressional Management Foundation’s Democracy Award for Constituent Accountability and Accessibility clearly understand and excel at this concept.  Two members of Congress recognized for constituent service - The Fulcrum 

The Congressional Management Foundation today announced the winners of the seventh annual Democracy Awards, CMF’s program recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices and by members of Congress. Two members of Congress, one Democrat and one Republican, are recognized in four categories related to their work in Congress.  Some great public servants are actually members of Congress - The Fulcrum 

After watching President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this month, it would be easy to conclude that members of Congress have little interest in, and do not value, civility, bipartisanship and collaboration as a means to address the challenges our nation faces. But a recent survey of some other folks who were also in the House chamber the same night shows those principles are still respected on Capitol Hill. These people are the men and women who work as staff in Congress.  Staff have suggestions on how to fix Congress - The Fulcrum 

Americans have such a negative view of Congress in part because they are fed a steady diet of bad news about their lawmakers, and not all of it accurate. There are certainly an enormous host of problems plaguing the institution. But accusing your member of Congress of being “lazy” is neither fair nor accurate.  Congress may be broken – but it’s not lazy - The Fulcrum