That’s because Congress today has been less than productive.
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
According to a 2024 Gallup poll, only 20% of Americans approve of the way the legislative branch is handling its job. Another Gallup poll about professional ethics revealed that Americans view members of congress as less trustworthy than car salesmen – a title only claimed in the past few years.
With increasingly common battles over what used to be uncontroversial procedures as basic as passing the budget to avert government shutdown, Congress is regularly described as “broken” or “dysfunctional.”
Reuters reported earlier this year that just 27 bills were passed in 2023 — a record low — and that the number of bills signed into law has been steadily decreasing.
According to a Pell Center analysis, from 1961 to 2008, the majority of legislation passed in both the House and the Senate was bipartisan.
In the last decade, however, the Pell Center analysis found that the Senate and House have hit record highs for the percent of partisan legislation passed. In the 117th Senate, for example, 54% of the legislation passed was partisan, meaning the majority party forced through over half of the legislation, a record high since 1945.
It might not be a coincidence that the golden era of bipartisanship ended at the same time Hobson left Congress.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Bipartisanship was his superpower. Just listen to those who he worked with to get things done:
“Dave worked well with everyone and both Democrats and Republicans appreciated his good judgment and ability to reach common ground.” - Gov. Mike DeWine
“Whether in Congress or retirement, Dave always worked to deliver for his beloved Springfield, for the Miami Valley, and for Ohio, and he’d work with anyone, of either party, to get things done for our state.” - Sen. Sherrod Brown
“[Hobson] will best be remembered in Columbus, Washington and at home for his ability to solve problems and make deals to deliver for the Springfield area.” - Rep. Steve Austria
With the polarized state of Congress today, that era of bipartisanship might feel like ancient history.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
Hobson was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate Republicans “dedicated to working to enact commonsense legislation that gets things done for the American people.” Sen. Susan Collins, who has consistently been ranked in the top of The Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index, is also a member, as is Rep. Mike Turner. They claim that their members “run and win in the most highly contested swing districts in the country.”
There’s something to that.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Researchers with the Center for Effective Lawmaking analyzed more than 40 years of congressional data and found that for both members of the House and Senate, legislative effectiveness increases when members build bipartisan coalitions around the bills they sponsor and those who are more effective lawmakers generally fare better in primary elections than less effective lawmakers.
In an age of hyper-partisan, purity politics, we all can learn from Hobson’s example. Ohio has been home to a number of influential and effective bipartisan leaders, including Bob Taft, Speaker John Boehner, Ambassador Tony Hall, Gov. Mike DeWine and many others.
And even in today’s climate, there’s no shortage of issues that are widely popular on both sides of the aisle. YouGov.org pulled together a list of more than 100 policy areas that, according to their polling, are important to voters and enjoy bipartisan support.
Dave Hobson wasn’t a superhero. He was a man from Springfield who cared about his community enough to put partisan politics aside to get things done for his constituents.
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