As we prepare for a new slate of respectful dialogue in 2019 and an earnest desire to be a promoter of efficient, effective and compassionate solution, allow me to share a concern echoed from the year behind, as editorialized by CNN and multiple outgoing senators\u2026 [all emphasis mine]\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAs departing senators said their goodbyes to Washington, a number of Democrats and Republicans took the opportunity to express concern about the state of the Senate and the political climate.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2018All the evidence points to an unsettling truth: The Senate as an institution is in crisis,\u2019 retiring Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah lamented in his farewell speech delivered on the Senate floor.<\/i><\/p>\n
Sen. Claire McCaskill, who was defeated in the November midterm elections, echoed that idea when she delivered her own farewell speech. \u2018I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was worried about this place,\u2019 she said. \u2018It just doesn’t work as well as it used to.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2018Something is broken,\u2019 the Missouri Democrat went on to say. \u2018<\/i>If we don’t have the strength to look in the mirror and fix it,<\/i><\/b> the American people are going to grow more and more cynical.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
As senators who were either ousted in the elections or decided to retire and not seek another term reflected on their time in Congress, many expressed dismay at how divided Washington has become as lawmakers retreat to entrenched partisan positions that leave <\/i>little room for compromise or common ground<\/i><\/b>\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
But while departing senators had unique messages to impart, the overarching idea that there’s a problem with the current state of politics was a consistent theme.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2018What in the world has happened to civility and to humility in our nation’s public discourse?\u2019 <\/i><\/b>Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat who lost his seat in the midterms, asked in his farewell speech.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2018Tribalism is our problem, and if not corrected, it’s going to take our country down,\u2019 he warned\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
As departing senators outlined concerns in their farewell speeches, many described what they believe has contributed to the highly divisive political climate and what they think needs to change.<\/i><\/p>\n
McCaskill urged lawmakers to have the courage to take \u2018tough votes.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
\u2018Solving the toughest problems will not happen without tough votes,” she said. \u2018We can talk about the toughest problems… we can argue about them, we can campaign on them, but we’re not going to solve them without tough votes.\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
Nelson and outgoing Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, who also lost his seat in the midterms, suggested that an influx of big money in politics has had a corrosive effect, making an argument common to the Democratic Party\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
Hatch, meanwhile, decried “identity politics,” a concept often invoked critically by Republicans, who frequently accuse Democrats of subscribing to it\u2026 \u2018identity politics is nothing more than dressed-up tribalism\u2019\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
In their farewell speeches, departing senators also reflected on fond memories of their time in Congress, and some expressed optimism for the future despite their concerns\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
I believe, too, there exists reason for optimism. However,<\/i><\/b> it starts with:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to the Intramuralist in 2019. May we always be part of the solution.<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n AR\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we prepare for a new slate of respectful dialogue in 2019 and an earnest desire to be a promoter of efficient, effective and compassionate solution, allow me to share a concern echoed from the year behind, as editorialized by CNN and multiple outgoing senators\u2026 [all emphasis mine]\u2026 \u201cAs departing senators said their goodbyes to … <\/p>\n\n