House Could Take the Better Way
Aug. 20, 2023
The U.S. House of Representatives once again finds itself at the precipice.
It showed the best of itself in May by working through its differences to approve an increase in the nation’s debt ceiling, with nearly equal support from both sides of the aisle. Then in July it rather quickly reverted to the worst of itself, bogging down in a partisan showdown over next year’s military budget.
Now with September fast approaching, the House is staring at a series of other appropriations bills that must be approved before the new budget year begins Oct. 1. The chamber recessed for August without resolving the suddenly contentious funding for the Agriculture Department. Eight more “must-pass” appropriations bills are yet to be considered by the full chamber. September promises to be ugly.
The contrast between the House at its worst and at its best suggests there are two different ways the very same assembly could be configured.
The first we all know. A chamber cleaved down the middle between two sides constantly at war, the Republicans now owning a numerical advantage so slight there’s no room for defectors. This is the version on full display in the showdown over the military budget. 
The second could be. Each side has its extreme faction, the so-called hard left and far right, that aren’t going to budge. They are outnumbered, however, by a body of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who while holding differing political persuasions are committed to find a way forward. This coalition carried the day by a large margin, 314-117, on debt ceiling relief.
At the middle of this teeter-totter are 77 center-right Republicans affiliated with one or more of three House groups known as the Problem Solvers Caucus, the Republican Governance Group and the Main Street Caucus.
The center-rightists pride themselves on being pragmatists. Listen to what others have to say. Work out what one can get and has to give in return. Find the votes to get it done. Move on.
Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, chairman of the Main Street Caucus, has described his group as “pragmatic conservatives who actually care about getting to work.” The caucus overlaps with the Republican Governance Group. The website of its chairman, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, adds that members “carefully consider policy stances and aim to make a difference rather than pushing partisan noise.”
They come to this either because deep-down they believe it’s the right approach or in some cases for the pragmatic reason that they represent a swing district.
They find themselves in either an enviable or difficult position. Sway in one direction, they line up in solidarity with their ultraconservative colleagues to push through highly charged partisan showdowns. Sway back in the other direction, they collaborate with moderate Democrats to pass legislation that appeals across the aisle.
There’s little question in my mind which of these options is preferred by most Americans. They don’t want to perpetuate the divisive nonsense. They want it solved.
In poll after poll conducted over the past three years by Our Common Purpose, a representative sampling of voters nationwide repeatedly express hope for something better from our elected officials. Asked in the most recent of these surveys whether we should fight it out or work it out on controversial legislation, a whopping 93 percent said work it out.
The center-rightists are actively engaged in reaching across the aisle, for instance in holding a recent joint briefing on artificial intelligence with the 100 or so members of the center-left New Democrat Coalition. Beyond that, the center-rightists are endeavoring behind the scenes to sideline inflammatory legislation they know won’t play well back home.
Most visible to the public, however, is what happens with those measures that do reach the House floor. The center of support for the debt ceiling measure came from the middle of the political spectrum. Of the 104 Democrats affiliated with the center-left caucuses, 98 voted yes. Of the 77 Republicans who belong to the center-right caucuses, 69 voted yes.
By themselves they don’t have enough votes in the 435-member House to swing it themselves on this or any other measure. But the circle of lawmakers who were open to reason and willing to negotiate grew to 314 on this particular bill and has been even larger on other bipartisan legislation.
Can they team up again to stave off more partisan staredowns? Unfortunately, it appears it’s not in the cards for the appropriations bills to be considered next month. With input already in and markup of the bills complete, the battle plan seems already drawn.
Looking forward, the political pressures, burdens and consequences for the center-rightists are considerable. The ultraconservatives, far fewer in number, have shown themselves to be punitive. Enough Democrats have to be willing to swoop into help, as they did with preliminary matters just to get the debt ceiling relief to the floor. So be it. By working across the aisle, they found a way.
The House teeters between two ways of arranging itself. The familiar version is hopelessly split in half, the two sides fighting out every step. The other bridges the chasm by working out differences, the extremists be darned. The first of these we all know. The second is what could be.
The center-rightists have the sway to make it happen. It remains to be seen what they will do.
–Richard Gilman
Look below to see which representatives from your state are among the 77. Let them know what you think.
These Reps Could Bridge Divide
These are the 77 Republicans who have chosen to join one or more of the three center-right caucuses in the U.S. House of Representatives. You can encourage those from your state to seek out bipartisan solutions not just some of the time but all of the time.
Arizona
Juan Ciscomani
Arkansas
Steve Womack
California
John Duarte
David G. Valadao
Jay Obernolte
Kevin Kiley
Young Kim
Ken Calvert
Michelle Steel
Florida
Laurel Lee
Mario Diaz-Balart
Maria Elvira Salazar
Carlos A. Giménez
Aaron Bean
John Rutherford
Idaho
Mike Simpson
Illinois
Mike Bost
Indiana
Larry Bucshon
Erin Houchin
Iowa
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Randy Feenstra
Kentucky
Garland “Andy” Barr
Louisiana
Julia Letlow
Michigan
John James
John Moolenaar
Bill Huizenga
Lisa C. McClain
Minnesota
Brad Finstad
Pete Stauber
Mississippi
Michael Guest
North Carolina
Chuck Edwards
North Dakota
Kelly Armstrong
New Jersey
Jeff Van Drew
Christopher H. Smith
Thomas Kean Jr.
New York
Nicole Malliotakis
Michael Lawler
Marcus Molinaro
Nicholas J. LaLota
Elise Stefanik
Brandon Williams
Nick Langworthy
Andrew R. Garbarino
Anthony P. D’Esposito
Nebraska
Mike Flood
Don Bacon
Nevada
Mark Amodei
Ohio
Michael R. Turner
Troy Balderson
David Joyce
Bill Johnson
Max Miller
Oklahoma
Stephanie I. Bice
Oregon
Cliff Bentz
Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Pennsylvania
Guy Reschenthaler
Glenn Thompson
Brian Fitzpatrick
Dan Meuser
South Carolina
Nancy Mace
South Dakota
Dusty Johnson
Texas
Michael McCaul
Monica De La Cruz
Pete Sessions
Tony Gonzales
Beth Van Duyne
Michael C. Burgess
Dan Crenshaw
Jake Ellzey
Utah
Blake D. Moore
John Curtis
Virginia
Jen A. Kiggans
West Virginia
Carol Miller
Washington
Dan Newhouse
Wisconsin
Bryan Steil
Derrick Van Orden
Mike Gallagher
Source: Washington Post survey of the “Five Families” in House majority
A Model of Working Together
June 22, 2023
Voters should take heart that approval of the debt ceiling relief bill, as messy as the process was, ended up a model of elected officials actually working together. Congress will need to use the same approach again if it wants to get anything done.
Before and after the debt measure was passed by the House of Representatives (days later it would also be approved by the Senate), most all media attention was devoted to the ultra-conservatives and the progressives on the opposing end of the political spectrum.
For days beforehand the media focused on whether the House Freedom Caucus would derail the deal negotiated by the White House and House Republicans. The over-stoked drama being whether Speaker Kevin McCarthy, working with a super-thin majority, could rally enough Republicans to pass the measure. One headline warned, “Debt bill faces growing revolt within G.O.P.” After the vote, the hardliners would again take center stage, this time to demonstrate their unhappiness by withholding their votes on the most routine of matters.
This is the world we live in. The zealots do nothing better than how well they work the media. The outsized importance given to their every utterance creates the misimpression that we must pick between the extremes.
Fortunately when it came to the debt ceiling, matters were not left to them. While they blustered away, something far more positive was taking shape in the corridors of Congress. There were plenty enough votes from the lots of Democrats and lots of Republicans working behind the scenes in support of the measure.
That meant all the attention being paid to the outliers, and all the handwringing that resulted, were badly overblown. Unlike the usual votes along party lines, the outcome didn’t depend at all on every Republican lining up behind the bill. Credit to the Washington Post for accurately sensing the tide. Its headline days before the vote: “A Washington surprise: Centrists push back against fringes in debt deal.” The final margin turned out to be 314-117, far bigger than we had been led to imagine.
Plenty of plaudits have gone to President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, but the unsung heroes are the rank-and-file lawmakers of both parties who came together to do the right thing. This was a moment when simple, higher-minded principles that deep-down guide the country, in this case that we will pay our bills, transcended partisan politics.
Rather than the usual dynamic of Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other, the yeas and nays could better be characterized as the pragmatists versus the die-hards. While the diehards, represented by the Freedom Caucus on the one side and the Congressional Progressive Caucus on the other, get most of the media attention, it was groups occupying more of the political center that carried the day.
Rep. Ann Kuster, D-N.H., chairperson of the House’s New Democrat Coalition, has described her group as “the ‘can-do’ caucus. We get the job done.” Across the aisle, Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., chair of the Main Street Caucus, described his group as “pragmatic conservatives who actually care about getting to work.”
Different words but, party affiliations aside, the two descriptions have an air of similarity. While fully acknowledging the divisions of government, Kuster has declared, “let’s demonstrate to the American people that mature and pragmatic legislators will get the job done.”
Kuster said she believed from the very beginning that the vote on the debt ceiling would be “from the middle out.” She was right. The winning coalition included 92 of the 97 New Dems and 63 of the 68 Main Streeters.
The give-and-take that led to agreement is the course strongly preferred by the public. In extensive polling done over the past three years by Our Common Purpose, the question has been asked in a variety of ways but the answer is always the same. Voters have indicated time and again they want their elected officials to put aside party politics to get things done. One striking example comes from the most recent poll taken in January. When respondents were asked to choose whether legislators should work it out or fight it out, a rather astonishing 93% said they should work it out.
The idea of Republicans and Democrats voting together for the common good was more than some representatives of the far right and hard left could stomach. They were left to sputter and then, in the case of a few ultraconservatives, to act out their frustration.
Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., took to a podcast to grouch about the Speaker playing footsy with the Democrats. “We’re going to force him into a monogamous relationship with one or the other. What we’re not going to do is hang out with him for five months and watch him go jump in the back seat with Hakeem Jeffries.”
Jeffries, D-N.Y., the minority leader of the House, might not have appreciated the metaphor, but Gaetz’s analysis did get right to the crux of the matter. There is a choice to be made about whether our representatives cross the aisle to get things done.
They did so on debt ceiling relief. The President appropriately has taken to promoting the result as the Bipartisan Budget Agreement. With this as a model of working together, the question now is whether it can happen again. It’s likely the only way this session of Congress will get anything done.
Few actions rise to the immediacy of raising the debt ceiling. The give-and-take of bargaining produced enough concessions for both sides to declare themselves winners. The product of their labors had backing from the leadership of both parties. Taken together, those advantages don’t come along every day.
But other “must-pass” legislation is on the horizon. A series of appropriations bills must pass for the government to function. Another deadline looms on Sept. 30, by when the federal budget for next year will need to be enacted. The Farm Bill, critical to agriculture, also comes up again this year.
If even a limited number of ultraconservatives continue to play hardball, the Speaker will again find himself in a bind. The question the media should be asking the next time around is whether the requisite votes can again be cobbled together from both sides of the aisle.
The bipartisan action on debt ceiling relief shows that on matters of national importance Congress can find a way to work together. Republican Johnson of the Main Street Caucus chose not to comment for this article but Democrat Kuster believes there is further business to be done with those she calls “reasonable Republicans” to deliver bipartisan solutions on issues such as the Farm Bill, workforce development, even on controversial reforms in the permitting process for large projects.
There is promise here, even in the divided House of Representatives. Voters should be clear with their representatives in Washington that they want to see more of the same.
–Richard Gilman
Most Prefer Working Together Over Fighting
The confrontive political standoff we have today is not what the great majority of us want.
This conclusion comes through once again, emphatically, in Our Common Purpose’s most recent public opinion survey conducted by Survey USA in January 2023.
It’s not that respondents are oblivious to present circumstances. They were asked in the most recent survey to show on a sliding scale (ranging from -100 to +100) whether we are divided or united. Their answers veered distinctly toward divided, averaging out at a -34.
Present circumstances, however, contrast sharply with what they want. When asked to show on the same scale (-100 to +100) whether they wished us more divided or more united, their answers veered resoundingly in the other direction, averaging out at +76 for more united.
These sentiments are reflected in a variety of other measures as well as follow-up comments that reflect both the regret felt by respondents over what we have, and their wish for something better. Listen, for instance, to these Voices of America:
I totally agree we must be together rather than the condition we are in right now.
- Independent from Amherst, OH.
We need to unite and save the senseless energy we use fighting amongst one another and put it toward making our country a better place . . .
- Republican from New Boston, MI.
It seems like the entire world is caught up in partisanship. I feel the USA needs to try to work together as an example to the world.
- Democrat from New Orleans, LA.
Support for Principles Remains Strong
Even in the face of an ever-shifting political landscape, support for the 10 Principles to Unite America remains strong.
The 10th principle, Education Is Crucial to Our Future, nudged upward to tie Equal Rights for All, Responsibilities for All as the co-most popular ideals in the most recent public opinion survey of registered voters conducted by Survey USA in January 2023. The two each drew strong agreement from 81 percent who were surveyed.
Otherwise, the strong agreement with the remainder of the principles stayed within the ranges established in the previous six surveys. The latest percentages of those who strongly agree:
- We’re better united than divided. 77%
- Even with our flaws, we have much to cherish. 66%
- Our great democracy is only as good as we make it. 69%
- Give us liberty, though not to harm others. 66%
- We are a nation of laws — that need to be equally applicable to all. 79%
- Equal rights for all; Responsibilities for all. 81%
- Government – at all levels – needs to be better at what it does. 80%
- Our military stands strong to deter, not to provoke. 66%
- New opportunities are needed in communities across the land. 62%
- Education is crucial to our future. 81%
All-In for We’re Better United
Nearly 80 percent of Americans strongly agree we’re better united than divided. Most of the remaining 20 percent somewhat agree. Many substantiate their support with comments that in one way or another call for us to act in common, be united, come together.
This amidst the gloom that division is all around us. Everything seems to be politicized, from school boards to public health officials to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation is divided on major issues such as gun control, immigration and climate change, and we don’t have a way, or the will, to solve them. We watch discord in Washington, D.C., and experience it in our own backyard. Against this backdrop, anything to the contrary defies imagination.
Except the results of the surveys* conducted for Our Common Purpose are consistent and unwavering. Four out of every five voters strongly agree we’re better united than divided. Democrats, Republicans and independents strongly agree in near equal percentages. The agreement hasn’t wavered even during the worst of the past two years.
In an environment of inflammatory rhetoric, disinformation, contentious state legislation, all the uglies we face today, the poll results provide an encouraging message. Average Americans like you and I aspire to something different, better, more than we are getting today. The only catch being if that we want different-better-more, then we need to do different, better, more than we are doing today.
The comments gathered in the course of taking the surveys, presented here as Voices of America, add up to three objectives for we citizens that, simple as they sound, need to be stated as such. More to come in this space on each of the following. We need to:
— Raise up what unites us.
— Face down what divides us.
— Recognize that it’s on us to build unity together.
Granted it’s one thing to state objectives, quite another to make actual progress. We can’t though stand idly by without trying.
* A series of seven nationwide polls were conducted by Survey USA in a 30-month period from June 2020 to January 2023.
Backing for Three Principles Shifts Slightly
While support for the 10 Principles to Unite America remains steady and strong, the backing for three of the principles shifted slightly over the course of six nationwide public-opinion surveys conducted during the tumultuous period between June 2020 and January 2022.
The polls were conducted by Survey USA at regular intervals over the 18-month period. Each of the first five surveys were of 1,500 voters. The most recent survey polled 2,500 voters, adding up to a total sample size for the six surveys of 10,000 voters.
The biggest shift lifted #7 Government – At All Levels – Needs to Be Better At What It Does into a tie (with ongoing front-runner #6 Equal Rights For All, Responsibilities for All) for the highest level of strong agreement among the 10 principles.
Buoyed by increased support from Republicans that coincided with their losing the presidency, the principle enjoyed a spike of 6 percentage points from 76% to 82%. The Republican interest in better government jumped from 70% with Donald Trump in the White House to 80% when Joe Biden took over, and has risen since to 84%. Meanwhile, support for the ideal from Democrats (80%) and Independents (81%) remained strong.
The next biggest change was to #4 Give Us Liberty, Though Not to Harm Others, which dropped 5 percentage points from 69% strong agreement in June 2020 to 64% in January 2022. This change was driven by another shift in Republican sentiment. In the midst of ongoing unhappiness over mask-wearing and vaccinations, Republicans who strongly agreed with this principle slipped from 67% in June 2020 to 59% in January 2022.
The third largest change was to #2 Even With Our Flaws, We Have Much to Cherish, which gained 4 percentage points from 64% to 68% over the 18-month period. In this case the change was driven by Democrats who in June 2020 were re-examining our past in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. The percentage of Democrats who strongly agreed with this principle started off low at 58% but has since inched upward to 66%. Even with that, their support remains a bit below Republicans, whose strong agreement with this principle stands at 74%.
The levels of strong agreement with the other seven principles in the succession of polls has remained steady, varying no more than 2% over the 18-month period.
Introducing Voices of America
Voices of America, a new feature of this website, is a representative sampling of comments drawn from polling done for Our Common Purpose.
Perhaps taking their cue from the positive, non-partisan tone of the survey questions they just had been asked, most all respondents replied in similar fashion. Some responses go so far as to be giddy. One gets the impression that some of the authors yearn for what the 10 principles represent.
Good man good.
— Republican from Tinton Falls, N.J.
It is so good.
— Democrat from Dallas, Tex.
This needs to be done, now.
— Republican from Citrus Heights, Calif.
Very unlike the us versus them that we typically hear, the vast majority of respondents spoke in terms of what we need to do as a people, as a nation.
There is inspiration, hope and, yes, idealism in their comments. Many reflect pride in what we are as a nation. Even more believe we can and need to do better. While there are doubters, most found it at once uplifting and challenging that we might agree upon a set of ideals for America.
Their comments will be displayed a half-dozen at a time in the banner at the top of the home page. As the banner invites, you can offer your own comment by clicking on Join the Conversation. The comments will be replaced each month by a new set. Watch for them!
Positive Poll Results Keep Rolling In
American voters have continued to indicate strong agreement with the 10 Principles to Unite America in four surveys done over the course of the past year.
Even while the polling was conducted by Survey USA during some tense and difficult moments, a consistent percentage of Democrats, Republicans and independents said they are totally comfortable with the set of principles.
June 2020 (at the time of the George Floyd memorial services): 65%
October 2020 (just prior to the 2020 presidential election): 65%
January 2021 (shortly after the riot at the U.S. Capitol): 61%
May 2021 (100 days into the Biden presidency): 65%
In each of these surveys, most everyone else – ranging from 30% to 33% — registered as somewhat comfortable. Only 5% to 6% said they were uncomfortable or weren’t sure.
The most popular principle continues to be #6 Equal Rights for All; Responsibilities for All. In the four surveys it attracted strong agreement from 80 to 82% of voters in virtually equal numbers of Democrats, Republicans and independents. Most everyone else somewhat agreed.
It is followed quite closely by #10 Education Is Crucial to Our Future (78% to 80%); #1 We’re Better United Than Divided (77% to 79%), and #4 We Are A Nation of Laws – That Need to be Equally Applicable to All (77% to 79%).
The least popular principle remains #9 New Opportunities Are Needed in Communities Across the Land, but even it gets strong agreement from a majority of voters (59% to 62%).