Sen. Richard Lugar talks effective governing

Submitted by Jack McCullough on August 27, 2012
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Problem-Solver's Daily
richard lugar
governing
Hyper-Partisanship
ron wyden
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University of Texas
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CALL FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNING: With only a few months left in his 36 years of representing Indiana in the Senate, Sen. Richard Lugar urges elected officials to govern effectively, saying "Ultimately, candidates are elected to govern and find workable solutions to problems. Independent voters who decide many elections are looking for competence, seriousness of purpose and trustworthiness. They are looking for leaders who will not be dissuaded from compromises that might be necessary to govern effectively." Richard Lugar forUSA TODAY: #GOPFuture: Republicans must govern effectively, honestly

ENDANGERED: Sen. Ron Wyden represents a fading breed of lawmakers on Capitol Hill as someone who wants to reach across the aisle. While he might disagree with a colleague in Congress 95 percent of the time, Wyden is determined to work to find solutions over the five percent of similar ideas. "I honestly think that while the stuff that goes on here makes the rest of us tired, angry and cynical, it just makes him that much more determined to find a way to fix it," says one Wyden aide: Bill Keller for The New York Times: The Last Bipartisan

GO POSITIVE: Both Democratic and Republican strategists are recommending the presidential candidates take a more positive approach to running their respective campaigns, focusing on the issues as opposed to the flaws of their opponent. The American people deserve a real debate on the vision that both candidates have for the future of the country. “They’ve heard the dark side, now they need to see the light," says No Labels Co-Founder Mark McKinnon: Ron Fournier for National Journal: Strategists Urge Obama, Romney to Get Positive

BUSINESS LEADERS WANT SOLUTIONS: Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, and Bob Wright, former chairman of NBC, met with "Meet the Press" host David Gregory to discuss the direction of the country. While the men may have differed on exactly how they would get the country back on track, they agreed that it's time to "put aside the partisan bickering immediately and get the nation’s true business and political leaders together to begin to solve our fiscal problems," writes William Cohan: William Cohan for Bloomberg: Legendary CEOs, Enjoying Nantucket, Call for Higher Taxes

PAID FOR PERFORMANCE: The University of Texas system is instituting a new program that gives raises to presidents, chancellors and other executives at the system level and at individual campuses and university hospitals based on meeting goals. While school systems are moving toward rewarding employees for doing their jobs, we should hold Congress to the same standards by passing the No Budget, No Pay Act. Congress is ignoring one of their most basic tasks and members are still getting paid despite the terrible performance record: Ben Wieder for Stateline: Performance Pay Comes to Campus

CONVENTION FUNDING: While conventions do have a place in politics, No Labels Co-Founder Dan Schnur wonders if tax payer dollars should still fund them. "Better yet, maybe we should set aside the money and use it for a post-election gathering, where the leaders of both parties can get together and finally begin serious conversations on how to address the nation's looming debt crisis and fiscal meltdown. A successful outcome to the 2013 National Budget Convention would definitely be worth a celebration not just for hardcore partisans, but for the rest of us as well," he suggests: Dan Schnur for The New York Times: Let the Parties, Not the Taxpayers, Foot the Carnival’s Bill

FROM THE FIELD: This No Labels supporter is riding in style with a "Stop Fighting Start Fixing" bumper sticker on his car.

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STAT OF THE DAY: Twenty-three percent of voters are either undecided as to who they'll vote for in the upcoming presidential election, or else feel that they could be persuaded to switch their votes. They are also still likely to turn out and vote. In 2008, roughly three quarters of those who were persuadable at an equivalent point in the campaign showed up to vote: AP-GfK Poll: Call them maybes; a fourth of voters undecided or soft supporters of Obama, Romney

Written & edited by Kelsey McLaughlin, Collin Berglund, Lauren Gilbert and Jack McCullough

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