The Centrist Solution: How We Made Government Work and Can Make It Work Again
Oct 2021 · Diversion Books
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345
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About this ebook
The four-term senator shares behind-the-scenes stories illustrating the lost art of aisle-crossing—and how to make American democracy function again.
Senator Joseph Lieberman offers a master class in effective government by revealing events from his forty years in elective office—which spanned from the Vietnam War era to the Obama presidency—and shining a light on historic acts of centrism and compromise. He was an up-close witness to a not-so-distant era when Republicans and Democrats worked together (and even became friends), and problems actually got solved. Today we need these examples more than ever.
Having two fiercely opposed political parties is what John Adams dreaded “as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” If American government is to work, it must do so in the center—where open discussion, hard negotiation, and effective compromise take place. In this vivid account of his political life, Lieberman shows how legislative progress and all-inclusive government occurs when politicians reject extremism and put country before party. The Centrist Solution shines a light on ten milestones of centrist success during his time in government—from the Clean Air Act of 1990 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the repeal of the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy—as well as his vice presidential run alongside candidate Al Gore, and his experience being vetted by John McCain to be his potential running mate on the 2008 Republican ticket.
In the telling, Lieberman extracts clear lessons and proven methods of collaboration that can carry us forward after years of partisan warfare and legislative inaction. The centrist solution leads to government truly of the people, by the people, and for the people—a citizenry looking for solutions, not destructive extremist standoffs.
“Reprising successes and failures, he ends each chapter with ‘Lessons for Centrists.’ . . . A heartfelt plea to legislators and the constituents who elect them.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The wisdom offered in this magnificently timed book serves as a reminder of history’s powerful examples of bipartisanship, almost completely forgotten in today’s environment of ever-changing party dogma and misplaced priorities.” —Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah (R) and US Ambassador
Senator Joseph Lieberman offers a master class in effective government by revealing events from his forty years in elective office—which spanned from the Vietnam War era to the Obama presidency—and shining a light on historic acts of centrism and compromise. He was an up-close witness to a not-so-distant era when Republicans and Democrats worked together (and even became friends), and problems actually got solved. Today we need these examples more than ever.
Having two fiercely opposed political parties is what John Adams dreaded “as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” If American government is to work, it must do so in the center—where open discussion, hard negotiation, and effective compromise take place. In this vivid account of his political life, Lieberman shows how legislative progress and all-inclusive government occurs when politicians reject extremism and put country before party. The Centrist Solution shines a light on ten milestones of centrist success during his time in government—from the Clean Air Act of 1990 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the repeal of the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy—as well as his vice presidential run alongside candidate Al Gore, and his experience being vetted by John McCain to be his potential running mate on the 2008 Republican ticket.
In the telling, Lieberman extracts clear lessons and proven methods of collaboration that can carry us forward after years of partisan warfare and legislative inaction. The centrist solution leads to government truly of the people, by the people, and for the people—a citizenry looking for solutions, not destructive extremist standoffs.
“Reprising successes and failures, he ends each chapter with ‘Lessons for Centrists.’ . . . A heartfelt plea to legislators and the constituents who elect them.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The wisdom offered in this magnificently timed book serves as a reminder of history’s powerful examples of bipartisanship, almost completely forgotten in today’s environment of ever-changing party dogma and misplaced priorities.” —Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah (R) and US Ambassador
About the author
Senator Joe Lieberman served 24 years in the United States Senate, representing the state of Connecticut, and was the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee in 2000. He is honorary national co-chair of No Labels, an American political organization composed of Republicans, Democrats and Independents whose mission is to “usher in a new era of focused problem solving in American politics.” He is also co-chair of the American Enterprise Institute’s American Internationalism Project and the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense while serving on the Board of Trustees for The McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Board of Trustees for the Institute for the Study of War, and the Board of Directors of the Center for a New American Security. During his tenure, Senator Lieberman helped shape legislation in virtually every major area of public policy and served in many leadership roles, including as chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. He is currently senior counsel at the law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres where he applies the investigative skills he honed as United States Senator and Attorney General of the State of Connecticut to represent clients in independent and internal investigations and advise them on a wide range of public policy, strategic and regulatory issues.
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