February 25, 1999 | Read Time: 4 minutes
The bitter impeachment battle that ended this month was a sad reflection of the poisonous partisanship that has enveloped our nation in recent years. Legislative gridlock, personal attacks, negative campaigns, and hot rhetoric from both parties have repeatedly caused a serious breakdown in the nation’s political process — one that draws attention away from very real social and economic needs and harms the civic fabric that binds our nation together.
Voters and young people are disillusioned. Capable new candidates refuse to run. Incumbents are troubled that their institutions and service carry diminished public respect. And despite numerous calls for a period of reconciliation and renewal, hurt feelings are running deep.
To help rebuild our nation’s civic strength and restore a spirit of bipartisanship, the non-profit world must take a leading role. In so doing, philanthropy would not only be helping Congress to refocus on the fundamental needs of the nation and deal with issues of great concern to charities. It would also be fulfilling its mission to serve the greater public interest.
Many approaches to building bridges to bipartisanship are available. To begin, foundations can finance conferences to promote civility and basic interactions among members of Congress. With foundation help, Congress has already held at least one such conference: the 1997 Bipartisan Congressional Retreat, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts and chaired by Reps. Ray Lahood, Republican of Illinois, and David Skaggs, Democrat of Colorado. That event brought together lawmakers and their families and resulted in small but significant gains. The continuation of programs that foster basic interaction is essential to help overcome suspicion and to reassure members of Congress who wish to explore bipartisanship that they will be supported in that effort.
But suspicion of party disloyalty, hostility across the aisle, and recrimination for past actions are forces that are too strong to be dispelled by civility alone. If the political parties do not share a sense of fundamental national priorities or issues, partisanship can easily take hold before legislative decision making starts.
Public-opinion polls can be very valuable in determining issues of concern to the electorate, but such polls are not a complete answer. A more complex understanding of what the public wants government to accomplish is necessary. Thus, foundations and other grant makers should finance studies concerning basic social concerns, which could serve as a basis for lawmakers to prioritize issues and determine appropriate policy.
By sponsoring conferences on bipartisanship, foundations can insure that it is better understood. Such gatherings would delve more deeply into the conditions that foster or hinder partisanship. Some of the factors that promote it are clear, from the high cost of running campaigns — wherein candidates must rely on financial support from big donors and political parties — to the current ascendancy of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives after 40 years of Democratic control. But there are many other factors that need to be identified and better understood.
A long-term approach to the problem also involves going beyond discussion of the checks and balances that are necessary to our system of government. It means coming up with realistic, practical, and clear ways to help Congress and the President work together better.
Fostering a spirit of bipartisanship through conflict resolution is well within the mission and program guidelines of many foundations and charities. A foundation-financed conference of charities that deal with the issue of bipartisanship would allow groups to share their recent experiences and findings. Non-partisan organizations concerned with the operation of government and possessing expertise in conflict resolution could provide information and support that might be useful in achieving bipartisanship. Foundation support for such organizations would stimulate them to continue and expand on their valuable work.
Foundations and other non-profit organizations could also establish a first-class World-Wide Web site devoted to bipartisanship in order to reach the media and the general public. Success in bipartisanship is newsworthy. With pressing deadlines and limited time, reporters may appreciate the help, and the topic of bipartisanship would receive attention.
Finally, charities and grant makers could also create, distribute, and support on-line education programs for high-school students. Such programs could reflect the benefits of bipartisanship, cooperative discussion, and constructive governmental problem solving. Additional programs for students who demonstrate an interest in public service could help in the development of young leaders.
Such ideas are but a few illustrations of the unique role that foundations and charities could serve to support the building of bipartisan bridges. Given recent history and the loss of trust in our system of government, the time to take the lead on this issue is now. The vision, creativity, and resources of the non-profit world can support programs to restore the political process and the public’s confidence in it.
In September, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia told fellow Senators gathered at a meeting of the Senate Leadership Forum of “the sublimely uplifting effect that dignity, decency, decorum, and dedication to duty can play in the life of our nation.” His words are a fitting description of the challenge that now faces conscientious leaders in Congress and in the non-profit world.
Kim A. Zeitlin is a lawyer in Washington.
