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12 Ways to Make Congress Work!
- No Budget, No Pay
If Congress can't pass a budget and all annual spending bills on time, members of Congress should not get paid.
- Up or Down Vote on Presidential Appointments
All presidential nominations should be confirmed or rejected within 90 days of the nomination.
- Fix the Filibuster
Require real (not virtual) filibusters and end filibusters on motions to proceed.
- Empower the Sensible Majority
Allow a bipartisan majority of members to override a leader or committee chair’s refusal to bring a bill to the floor.
- Make Members Come to Work
Make Congress work on coordinated schedules with three five-day work weeks a month in DC and one week in their home district.
- Question Time for the President
Provide a monthly forum for members of Congress to ask the president questions to force leaders to debate one another and defend their ideas.
- Fiscal Report to Congress
A nonpartisan leader should deliver an annual, televised fiscal update in-person to a joint session of Congress to ensure everyone is working off the same facts.
- No Pledge but the Oath of Office
Members should make no pledge but the pledge of allegiance and their formal oath of office.
- Monthly Bipartisan Gatherings
The House and Senate should institute monthly, off-the-record and bipartisan gatherings to get members talking across party lines.
- Bipartisan Seating
At all joint meetings or sessions of Congress, each member should be seated next to at least one member of the other party.
- Bipartisan Leadership Committee
Congressional party leaders should form a bipartisan congressional leadership committee to discuss legislative agendas and substantive solutions.
- No Negative Campaigns Against Incumbents
Incumbents from one party should not conduct negative campaigns against sitting members of the opposing party.
- No Budget, No Pay
If Congress can't pass a budget and all annual spending bills on time, members of Congress should not get paid.
- Up or Down Vote on Presidential Appointments
All presidential nominations should be confirmed or rejected within 90 days of the nomination.
- Fix the Filibuster
Require real (not virtual) filibusters and end filibusters on motions to proceed.
- Empower the Sensible Majority
Allow a bipartisan majority of members to override a leader or committee chair’s refusal to bring a bill to the floor.
- Make Members Come to Work
Make Congress work on coordinated schedules with three five-day work weeks a month in DC and one week in their home district.
- Question Time for the President
Provide a monthly forum for members of Congress to ask the president questions to force leaders to debate one another and defend their ideas.
- Fiscal Report to Congress
A nonpartisan leader should deliver an annual, televised fiscal update in-person to a joint session of Congress to ensure everyone is working off the same facts.
- No Pledge but the Oath of Office
Members should make no pledge but the pledge of allegiance and their formal oath of office.
- Monthly Bipartisan Gatherings
The House and Senate should institute monthly, off-the-record and bipartisan gatherings to get members talking across party lines.
- Bipartisan Seating
At all joint meetings or sessions of Congress, each member should be seated next to at least one member of the other party.
- Bipartisan Leadership Committee
Congressional party leaders should form a bipartisan congressional leadership committee to discuss legislative agendas and substantive solutions.
- No Negative Campaigns Against Incumbents
Incumbents from one party should not conduct negative campaigns against sitting members of the opposing party.
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In today's Problem-Solver's Daily, John Avlon says voters want real leadership, Rep. Martha Roby urges members of Congress to find solutions and President Obama is scheduled for his first press conference since re-election.
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“We have urgent problems to confront in our country. We have the capacity to solve them, and we know the broad path forward. What's been missing is the political courage to stand up to the extremes in our own parties and reach across the aisle,” writes No Labels Co-Founder John Avlon. It’s time to face our problems and focus on solutions.
Click LIKE if you agree that our leaders need to reach across the aisle!
Election a call for purple politics - CNN.com
www.cnn.com
John Avlon says the election was a rejection of the hate and hyper-partisanship that has disfigured our civic debates in recent years.
726 Likes - 48 Comments - 15 hours ago
The Blog
Use the Same Facts
Last night we watched the final presidential debate -- and like the last three, the candidates spent much of the time bickering over everything, including the facts. By definition, facts shouldn’t be partisan. Yet to quote an old Scottish writer, leaders in Washington “use statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts -- for support rather than for illumination.”
The Threat of a Downgrade
On Tuesday, Moody’s credit rating agency threatened to downgrade our credit if Congress does not get to work on a budget to stabilize the U.S. federal debt, saying: “Budget negotiations during the 2013 Congressional legislative session will likely determine the direction of the US government's Aaa rating and negative outlook.”