Senate Farewells Sound Familiar Warning: Partisanship Is Ruining Us

Over the past few weeks, many of those leaving the U.S. Senate -- either voluntarily or by defeat -- have given a farewell address, something of a Senate tradition.

The speeches have been remarkable for their similarity. Not in terms of thanking staff and family members and recounting memorable moments or greatest hits of a legislative career. Most of the senators did those things.

Rather, they have been remarkable for the warning most of them have sounded about the dismal state of the nation's body politic.

Intense partisanship. The lost art of compromise. The vast sums of cash needed to run for office. Abuse of the filibuster. Repeatedly, senators said such factors are crippling the political process, and that the country's future depends on changing that culture.


"I will begin by stating the sadly obvious. Our electoral system is a mess," said retiring Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)

At age 14, Dodd watched from the gallery as his father took the Senate oath of office. A few years later he worked as a Senate page and in 1980, after serving in the House for six years, Dodd was elected to the Senate and would become the longest-serving senator in Connecticut history. His message to colleagues and successors was direct and stark.

"Intense partisan polarization has raised the stakes in every debate and on every vote, making it difficult to lose with grace and nearly impossible to compromise without cost. Americans' distrust of politicians provides compelling incentives for senators to distrust each other, to disparage this very institution, and to disengage from the policy-making process."

Obstructionism, delaying tactics and the repeated "use and abuse of the filibuster" have made bipartisanship almost impossible, Dodd said. "Politics today seemingly rewards only passion and independence, not deliberation and compromise."

And the climate is about to get even tougher. With a large number of highly partisan and conservative Republicans joining a Senate that will be narrowly controlled by an undoubtedly more nervous Democratic majority -- and a new Republican-controlled House with half of its GOP members freshmen -- the 112th Congress looks to be a partisan slugfest (recent tax-cut deal notwithstanding).

The nation's future depends on the two parties resolving to work together, said Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.

"We are surrounded today by gathering challenges that, if unaddressed, will threaten our republic -- our growing debt and deficits, our unsustainable energy dependency, increasing global economic competition, asymmetric national security challenges, an aging population, and much, much more," said Bayh, who is retiring after two terms.

Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, also retiring after two terms, sounded much the same message.

"We are on an unsustainable fiscal course caused by explosive and unchecked growth in spending and entitlement obligations without funding," said Voinovich. A big part of the reason is the partisan climate, he added. "When we are laser-focused on fighting, politicking and messaging, [the American people's] concerns and plight are forgotten and nothing controversial gets done."

Voinovich warned the conservative wing of the Republican Party against virulent attacks on President Obama. "If we diminish the president in the eyes of the world, it is to the detriment of our nation's international influence and will impact our national security. We are on thin ice and we need the help of our allies and they need our help as well."

Both Dodd and Voinovich addressed the influence of lobbyists in Washington and the pressure on members to raise money.

"Powerful financial interests, free to throw money about with little transparency, have corrupted, in my view, the basic principles underlying our representative democracy. As a result, our political system at the federal level is completely dysfunctional. Those who were elected to the Senate just a few weeks ago must already begin the unpleasant work of raising money for their re-election six years hence," said Dodd.

"An unacceptable amount of time is spent on fundraising," concurred Voinovich, who estimated that senators spend 20-25 percent of their time on it. "The time spent raising money too often interferes with . . . doing the job the people elected us to do."

Voinovich said his last two years, after he decided to retire, have been the most productive and enjoyable of his Senate career "because I have not had to chase money at home and around the country."

"None of us like it, but nothing seems to get done about it," he said -- in what could be the slogan of most of the farewell addresses.

Fighting tears throughout much of her speech, two-term Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas said Americans are "frustrated with our lack of productivity, and they are so anxious to be a part of the solution that needs to happen here -- the coming together. . . . We must start practicing greater civility towards one another both privately and publicly. . . . I urge you to have the courage to work across party lines. There is simply no other way to accomplish our nation's objectives."

New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg also spoke of the urgent need for compromise.

"We play politics in this city and in this country between the 40-yard lines, for all intents and purposes. We are not the government that ever moves too radically left or radically right. And that's the way it should be. In this institution, compromise is required. To govern you must reach agreement. We are 300 million people, obviously of a diverse view. If we're going to govern 300 million people, we must listen to those who have legitimate views on both sides of the aisle," said Gregg.

Dodd said that in his 30 years in the Senate, until the passage of the health care bill, he never passed a piece of legislation without a Republican partner.

"The Senate today, in the view of many, is not functioning as it can and should. I urge you to look around. This moment is difficult, not only for this body, but for the nation it serves. In the end, what matters most in America is not what happens within the walls of this chamber, but rather the consequences of our decisions across the nation and around the globe. Our economy is struggling, and many of our people are experiencing real hardship. By regaining its footing, the Senate can help this nation to regain confidence, and restore its sense of optimism," said Dodd.

"Maturity in a time of pettiness, calm in a time of anger, and leadership in a time of uncertainty -- that is what the nation asks of the Senate, and that is what this office demands of us."