Crossing the Divide

15

Reaching Across the Aisle

Innovations for Cross-Party Collaboration

Mark Gerzon Mediators Foundation East West Institute

All of us are here for a common purpose, to make the United States a better place. There is and must be room for all our voices to be heard to achieve our common purpose.

—U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-VT), January 5, 2007

AT A 2007 RETREAT for U.S. Senate chiefs of staff designed to promote greater cross-party collaboration and dialogue between the members, the chief of staff of a well-respected Republican pulled one of the facilitators aside and whispered in his ear. “If this process gets any traction,” he said in a hushed voice, “the party leaders will squash it like a bug.”

As the editor of this volume correctly ...