The country's dysfunctional political system, a never-ending cycle of campaigning that emphasizes fundraising over leading while deepening divisions between parties, is in dire need of reforms, Tom Ridge and Tom Daschle wrote in a column for The Hill.
The disrepair is a "tangible problem" for the country and the psyche of Americans, wrote Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, and Daschle, former senator from North Dakota.
"The political system itself is broken, wearing down too many leaders with endless fundraising demands and turning the job of elected representative into a never-ending campaign whose purpose is to vilify the other party," wrote Ridge and Daschle.
"Leadership in Congress focuses more on the capacity of lawmakers to raise money, rather than their policy expertise and merit on legislative issues. The political parties and system supporting them have come to care more about majorities in the legislative branch than governing," the pair wrote.
Daschle and Ridge don't point fingers at either party or the president, writing that the dysfunction started before President Donald Trump and will continue after his presidency, unless the nation's leaders reform now.
"Our experience tells us that if America lacks the will and moral strength to elect leaders who will repair the divisions in the country, then dysfunction in government will continue to be the greatest threat facing the nation," they write.
"Tonight, more than 50 of us will convene in Philadelphia … to rededicate ourselves to renewing the promise of our Founders for our nation and launch a national campaign to fix the broken political system. It is our hope that the rest of the country follows in their stead and begins supporting solutions to fix our politics now," the pair conclude.
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