Hurrah! It’s the fabulous Julie Mason, Texan bred, once a proud journalist at the Houston Chronicle, now working with POTUS, and with Sirius XM Radio. Line up: Kay Bailey Hutchison, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros, John H. Sununu, a former Governor of New Hampshire and White House chief of staff, U.S. Sen Evan Bayh.
The crisis in Washington: no leadership, adrift budget, hitting the debt ceiling.
Evan Bayh: Gerrymandering in House of Representatives. Low primary voter turnout brings out the most ideologically extreme constituents, leaving moderates running scared. Politically active people are so polarized they consider each other to be aliens. How to fix: compromise! This used to be considered a goal; now it is considered to be a sell-out.
Kay Bailey Hutchison: We are principled in our views. Anyone who believes you can go into the House or Senate and expect to get everything you want is not possible. A government shutdown and runaway debt is inevitable if we continue to indulge in “dialogues” that consist of two monologues. Commit to government..to governing, by listening to the conversation.
Henry Cisneros: When you find anger, usually you find fear. Out-of-control spending. Lower wages, the international environment, demographic change, generational change. How to address it? We have to work together.
John Sununu: The biggest problem in Washington is that things only get done when the President leads, investing personal capital (sometimes angering the base) to get what they want. George W. Bush spent and burnt his political capital to obtain his goal — the result was the loss of the next election to a Democrat President. We have failed to get results in Washington — and the result is that the public is angry. The Congress can’t lead itself. It needs leadership from the top. (Sununu blames the president for the current mess in Congress).
People are fearful and discouraged. How to improve?
Evan Bayh:: They’re too polarized. Today, if a GOP offered to work with a Dem, that would be something out of a science fiction movie. Bayg expressed concern about the upcoming tax code changes. Caucus problem solvers should agree on broad principles and discuss goals.
Kay Bailey Hutchison: It used to be negotiations. It is wise to use debt limits to put caps on spending. I think we should raise defense funding but not on “optional” spending. We need to have a standard – our debt is out of control… $16, $17 trillion? The military budget used to be 40%; now it’s in the 70% range. She blames the sluggish economy on the debt, due to over-regulation, too much debt, and overtaxing of businesses These factors slow down business growth. Congress does not know what the President wants to do. Where is the leadership in the House? Even the House can’t find leaders. Solution: precinct convention? No — most don’t go. But this is where the party platform is written. If the right people do not participate, you get non-mainstream people in the primaries. Engage more of the electorate in precinct voting. This would force candidates to appeal to a broader group of voters (Julie Mason calls it, the “Jungle Primary”).
Henry Cisneros: Voters are offended by the fundraising and redistributing abuses and structural aspects of the political process, as opposed to issues that matter to them. Bernie Sanders is talking about what is really bothering people; also Trump is speaking to people’s concerns. I’m not a fan of either of them but they are talking about core matters. They dismiss side issues such as fundraising. They use language that speaks to people. That kind of language combined with a charismatic leader can inspire people. Journalists cover the “horse race” and this is not good. Dismissing polls about issues, because they are focused on who’s in front of the race.
John Sununu: No good deed goes unpunished. A lot of Washington’s problems are that voters do not reward those who do the right thing. It’s not easy to negotiate with Congress. (Ex George W. Bush reduction in the deficit from spending cuts, taxes were almost all adjusted with an increase in the gas tax. He was punished for doing the right thing.) The message to other political leaders: it’s not worth it. It’s a hard process. The problem with the House Leadership is that every one of them thinks they should be Speaker (except Paul Ryan!) — and they want the rules changed in their favor. When you win, you become the establishment and therefore the target and the enemy. You have to win to make the changes. New Hampshire electorate works hard at this time — they take their role seriously. The residents of each town have a lot of personal involvement in politics and almost everyone ends up running for some kind of office on a local level. We, as a nation, have to be smart and responsible about politics.
Money and politics: super PACs, can politicians fix this?
Henry Cisneros: Citizens United is a major problem with undisclosed money in the political process. Because of the money issues, you spend a part of every single day raising money just to stay in office. Big money is making voters feel voiceless.
Evan Bayh:: it’s the majority of your time: breakfast, lunch, dinner fundraisers, travel to raise money, on a cell phone raising money. This has a negative effect on the people trying to govern. Yes, big money gets an ear with politicians. This is a problem. The U.S. Constitution: we rebelled against a king, so we dispersed power: federalism, state, and local levels of power. Because it is diffuse the only way you can make this work is if people are willing to compromise. LBJ said a man who is not willing to settle for half a loaf is a man who went to bed hungry. In Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage, each chapter is about a US Senator who cast a vote they thought would cost them a career in politics. “As I cast my vote, I look down into my open grave.” We need strong leaders — but we punish them for being brave and voting for what is right, even if it is unpopular or painful.
John Sununu: The Constitution is designed to make government inefficient in the short run and effective in the long run. (pause for enthusiastic clapping)
Kay Bailey Hutchison: The candidates fear the primary voters more than the rest of the voters. If we always play to that base, we are not going to get what we want for the country. We must follow the principles of fiscal responsibility. Then Gingrich came out with his Contract with America. The House was taken over by Dems and they delivered on their promises. With simple, clear goals, the problem solvers can do it.
On the Presidential campaign
John Sununu: I absolutely do not understand it! (the 2016 candidate line up)
Henry Cisneros: Trump might take the nomination. This is not a normal year and we are not playing by the normal rules.
Kay Bailey Hutchison: Grassroots people are running for president.
Evan Bayh: The US public is angry. But when the field winnows, it will be Hilary for the Dems. For Republicans, it might be Trump — but he can’t grow his support. The popular vote will be close, but we Dems have demographics on our side. It’s not the popular vote that decides the winner: it is the electoral college. You need 270 to win. Clinton will start with a huge advantage in the Electoral College.
Watch the live stream of the conversation: https://livestream.com/accounts/4773527/events/4422745/videos/102175222/player?autoPlay=false&height=360&mute=false&width=640
Newosity: future report 