Some Personal Reflections

As I saw President Joe Biden sworn in, my mind went back to the Senate as I knew it in the 1970s. It was a better place then. Don’t get me wrong, it was far from perfect. But there was civility, cooperation, an ability to listen rather than simply bloviate, willingness to cross the aisle on issues and votes, and, importantly, pride in the institution of the Senate. Members spent time together, traveled together, went to one another’s homes for dinner, across party lines. I look at those days now not as curiosities of a bygone era, but as necessities for making the Senate a working institution. Senators didn’t have to be ideological soul-mates to get along. Indeed, Hollings and Biden had differences on many issues. But out of a shared commitment to make government work for the people, they showed how to get things done. Today’s Senate needs serious repair.

[Michael Copps served as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission from May 2001 to December 2011 and was the FCC's Acting Chairman from January to June 2009. He is now a special advisor at Common Cause.]