If both sides are serious about moving forward, bipartisanship is the key

The voters have had their say, and now the time has come to shift Washington’s focus from campaigning to a more crucial agenda: crafting commonsense solutions and governing in America’s best interests. The verdict of the voter was that elected leaders should work together; that they should cross the aisle to spur job creation and move the economy forward. 

The American people divided responsibility for leadership almost evenly down the middle and as a result, we must govern from the middle or we will not be able to govern at all.  

{mosads}Compromising shouldn’t be Washington’s version of a dirty word. Soon enough, the Republicans will control half of the legislative process, and they will want to show that they’re capable of delivering on promises of progress. The White House also has a real interest in shared responsibility. “Inclusion” must be the key word on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. 

For the past two years, it seems as though the primary goal has been to get into the majority or to maintain it. If that is the primary goal going forward, where any legislative accomplishment is viewed as a negative for the minority party, little or nothing will be achieved and we will make only modest progress, if any at all. The goal for either party has to be less political and more substantive. 

How do we achieve that goal? Let’s look to the lessons of the 1990s and apply them now. Mutual achievement projects worked during Clinton’s presidency. At times, Republicans found common ground with Democrats on topics ranging from budget deficits to providing children with healthcare, from passing free trade agreements to reforming the welfare system. 

Bipartisanship moved America forward, leading to policies that achieved sustained job growth and produced private-sector innovation. While there were fiercely partisan battles fought in that decade, there were equally strong bipartisan achievements that have stood the test of time. Bipartisanship boosted people’s faith in their government, and it influenced people’s lives in a positive way.

If we can apply these lessons now, the years ahead can be much better. The lessons include a sustained dialogue among Democrats and Republicans in Congress and between the president and the Republican leadership; a vigorous search for concrete policy areas where bipartisan solutions are within our grasp. We need more frequent meetings between members on both sides of the aisle, such as bipartisan caucus lunches as recommended by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s new Democracy Project. Those in and out of office need to recognize that voters want things to get done that will better their lives and that bipartisan solutions are the only answers to that challenge in a divided government. Americans don’t simply want elected leaders to use heated language that eviscerates the other side because it makes for catchy cable news sound bites.  

Whether it was Ronald Reagan working with Tip O’Neil to strengthen Social Security or Ted Kennedy working with Orrin Hatch to pass S-CHIP and provide healthcare to children, bipartisan compromises have successfully served the nation’s interest in the not-so-distant past. If both sides are serious about moving America forward, then bipartisan achievements again will be the vehicle that will enable Washington to make progress for the middle class — but only if we work together.

Former Sen. Daschle is the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota and is a senior policy adviser at DLA Piper and co-founder of Bipartisan Policy Center.