As Congress and the administration barely recover from the government shutdown and move to address challenging policy issues in a short-term funding extension, the importance of re-establishing strong, across-the-aisle relationships, which have historically allowed government to function, is clear. Bad relationships on Capitol Hill not only paralyze sound policymaking, they're also creating a truly unhappy environment: Witness the number of lawmakers retiring or refusing to run when their terms end this fall.
Sen. Joe Manchin – the West Virginia Democrat who has good relationships with the opposition – recently summed up his feelings about Congress: "This place sucks." The bad relations that now characterize administration and Congressional discourse may hold a lesson for our own health and well-being.
