State of the Re:Union is committed to bringing our country back together, and our organization, No Labels, is working to make that goal a reality. No Labels is a national citizens’ movement of Independents, Democrats, and Republicans that urges bipartisan cooperation in the interest of common sense solutions. It is people like the readers of State of the Re: Union who will help change the culture of gridlock in Washington and move our country forward.

The political debate in Washington is at its most partisan in decades. No matter the topic – whether it is health care, the debt ceiling, or anything in between –politicians today are under the command of their political parties. This results in a government that is dominated by ideological extremes, which is both inefficient and unrepresentative of the average, moderate majority of Americans, 56% who believe that compromise yields the best solutions.

No Labels was formed in 2010 and represents these Americans, ensuring they do not get lost in the offensive politics of hyper-partisanship. The fiscal crisis is an issue that can affect all Americans, and a deal on the national debt should not fall victim to the myopic partisanship of lawmakers.

In our most recent No Labels national poll, 92% of Americans fear the fiscal crisis will negatively impact their financial future and 68% see the crisis as a threat to their job security. While this crisis keeps Americans up at night, Congress is scheduled to take more days off than working days before the August 2 deadline. Our latest campaign, No Deal, No Break, lets Congress know that inaction is unacceptable. No Deal, No Break calls on Congress to not take any vacations until a deal is reached on the national debt, with 83% of those surveyed agreeing with our campaign.

Both chambers of Congress have now heeded our call. Last week, the Senate decided to shorten their July 4th break, and today the House announced the cancellation of their upcoming mid-July recess.

At a time where politicians use toxic rhetoric to nurture pet projects and stall legislation, voters need to make a stand for bipartisanship. Americans acknowledge defaulting on our debt would be highly destructive to our already-fragile economy. A majority of polled Democrats, Republicans, and Independents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who works with colleagues from across the aisle to reach a deal on the debt. The tide has turned in favor of bipartisanship across America. Now is the time to ensure Washington gets the message.

To learn more about No Labels, please visit our website at nolabels.org where you can sign our No Deal, No Break letter to congress. No Labels: Not Left. Not Right. Forward.

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State of the Re:Union is thrilled to be working with No Labels. Politics can feel so toxic at times and can be a source of division. So many of these political battles are played out on a national stage, but from spending time in so many wonderful communities throughout the country, we know how much the end result of this type of partisanship can hit locally. Although No Labels discusses D.C. a good deal, their reach, their message, their mission is permeating through communities small and large throughout the country. Be sure to look for their pieces, appearing regularly on the State of the Re:Union website.

More politicians are mobilizing supporters and raising buckets of dollars through “money blurts” – intentionally-timed, incendiary comments about opponents that stoke social media and rake in cash. But we live at a time when we need to mobilize people to address our growing concerns, not divide them. Below are two sets of sound bites, one rooted in hate, the other in hope. The hopeful ones you can bank on as antidotes to growing negativity in public life.

The article in yesterday’s Washington Post showed how politicians are doing the equivalent of yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre, knowing full well what they’re saying is wrong and will have negative repercussions, but they do it anyway. In public life, such comments undermine trust, make the public square toxic, and push people further away from one another.

The Post offered examples of “money blurts” used by Democrats and Republicans alike. You may remember the one in which Representative Joe Wilson blurted out in the middle of President Obama’s State of the Union message, “You lie!”

Below you’ll find two columns: on the left are negative (even hate-filled) blurts noted in the Post article; on the right, alternate ones I have found engender authentic hope in people. These latter ones are time-tested, positive “blurts” you can start using today. Notice how the hateful ones work to divide people, while the hopeful ones actively engage people.

Hate	Hope
“You lie!” You have “anti-American views” You are “turning our country into a nation of slaves” About health care reform: “Don’t get sick, and if you get sick, die soon”	How can we get things moving in the right direction? Why do you say that? What will it take for me to earn your trust? What in your daily life gives you hope?

If we’re going to effectively address our pressing challenges today – such as how to ensure that every child gets a good education – then we must find ways to mobilize Americans to come back into the public square, join arms, and work together. My own work suggests that people are yearning to re-engage and re-connect; indeed, they want to restore their belief in our individual and collective ability to get things done, not just for our own good, but the common good.

If you agree, then use those blurts that engender authentic hope. What’s more, offer here your own examples of when you’ve heard sound bites rooted in hope or hate. And let me know how things go.

Let’s get things moving in a better direction.

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A dynamic public speaker, Rich Harwood is a frequent keynote for foundations and national organizations. He is an expert contributor on national and syndicated media outlets including MSNBC, NPR, The Christian Science Monitor, CNN’s Inside Politics, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Special Report with Brit Hume, C-SPAN, and many others. He is also the author of Hope Unraveled: The people’s retreat and our way back (2005), Make Hope Real: How we can accelerate change for the public good (2008) and numerous studies, articles and essays chronicling vital issues of our time. His most recent written work, Why We’re Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward, is being published and distributed in Spring 2011. You can follow him on twitter @RichHarwood and facebook.com/richharwood.

You can read Rich’s posts every Tuesday on State of the Re:Union’s website.