Here come the Problem Solvers

 For roughly the last three years, there has been a growing movement and sense of bipartisanship at the grassroots level with No Labels. No Labels is a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents and represents people along the political spectrum who want to put country before party and actually try to fix and address the issues and problems that face the country today.

With that said, there are many citizen leaders around the country in all 50 states and starting this past January members of Congress have officially joined the fight as Problem Solvers.

Recently, Ed Conant would provide the following for a local Georgia paper:

January was the kickoff for a new bipartisan movement in Congress called the Problem Solvers. There were 25 founding members, including three Georgia representatives — Republican Jack Kingston and Democrats John Barrow and Sanford Bishop. The group has grown to 63 members in the House and Senate, nearly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. New members join weekly.

The most important characteristic of Problem Solvers — an initiative of No Labels, a citizens’ group with leadership from former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — is their commitment to putting country before party. Only hyperpartisan ideologues could disagree with that guiding principle.

The Problem Solvers are becoming a force in the Congress. They meet regularly to build relationships and trust across the aisle, and look for common ground to solve the nation’s problems. They understand no one gets everything they want, whether in business, life or politics. The meetings of the Problem Solvers are the only venue on Capitol Hill where numerous members of Congress meet in a bipartisan setting.

This approach is a welcome contrast to today’s dysfunction in Washington. You have only to look at the Senate leaders to see striking examples of bipartisan futility. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., didn’t bring a budget to the Senate floor, not wanting to force Democratic senators to cast difficult votes that might antagonize their constituents. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., famously declared his top priority was to make President Obama a one-term president. At the time, we were conducting two wars and suffering through the worst economy since the Depression.

Neither party is blameless in prioritizing politicians’ personal power over citizens’ interests. By placing political goals ahead of governing, Reid and McConnell were, and are, emblematic of today’s broken Washington culture.

Polls consistently show Americans understand this. Our trust in Congress hovers at all-time lows between 9 percent and 17 percent.

No Labels is dedicated to making government work again. Their slogan is “Stop Fighting, Start Fixing!” and they focus on improving the process of governance as opposed to taking specific policy positions. This is what allows members of both parties to be comfortable within the No Labels community; they have the latitude to maintain their respective political principles.

No Labels is a big tent with a broad spectrum of political views among members. Some of No Labels’ proposals are filibuster reform, 90-day up-or-down votes on presidential appointees, and urging that members of Congress take no pledge but the oath of office. Both parties support or fight these commonsense proposals, depending on who is in power in the Congress and White House at any given time. The only reason these positions have not been adopted is that the parties value temporary political advantage over longer-term improved governance.

The public clamor for solutions rather than ideology is what drives the rapid growth of the Problem Solvers. Most important, Problem Solvers is not a Pollyanna approach to governing. It may be a long road to responsible governance in Washington, but it can be done. It took a long time for our politics to get off the tracks, and it will take a while to get them back on. Meanwhile, there is a growing political leadership working toward rational politics, and we citizens should be encouraged by, and support, that process.

Two of Georgia’s Problem Solvers are strong potential candidates for the 2014 Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Barrow, who hasn’t yet declared his intentions, and Kingston, who is expected to announce his candidacy today in Athens, are veteran lawmakers who have avoided the extremes of their parties. Their participation in Problem Solvers demonstrates their political maturity. They recognize American politics work best through bipartisan cooperation.

It is said that the Senate is the saucer in which the hot tea brewed by the House is cooled. Barrow and Kingston have demonstrated the coolness and judgment to serve honorably and effectively in the senior body. An election between two reasonable Problem Solvers, each representing the principles of their party while putting America first, would serve Georgians well.