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September 28, 2024 • 24 mins
Dr. Jill Long Thompson is a former congresswoman from Indiana and author/editor of Across the Aisle, Why Bipartisanship Works for America. Citing key points from Across the Aisle, Congresswoman Thompson argues persuasively that, time and again, bipartisanship on the local, state, and national levels has proven integral to moving America forward.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is What's at Risk with Mike Christian on WBZ
Boston's news radio.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hi, Mike Christian, here of What's at Risk. First up
on tonight's show, we speak with doctor Jill Long Thompson,
former Congresswoman from Indiana and author editor of Across the Aisle.
Why by partisanship works for America? In Across the Aisle,
highly respected Republicans and Democrats argue persuasively the time and

(00:30):
again by partisanship on the local, state, and national levels
has proven integral to moving America forward. And in our
second segment, we welcome Jessica Hoppey, author of the new
book First in the Family, A Story of survival, recovery,
and the American Dream. Jessica captures the historical significance of

(00:51):
the addiction crisis while sharing a deeply personal, lyrical, and
compelling story exploring the pressures of acception, the impact of
intergenerational trauma, and the shame associated with addiction. A former
Congresswoman from Indiana, Jill Long Thompson taught ethics as a

(01:12):
visiting clinical associate professor at the Kelly School of Business
and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
Until twenty fifteen, she was board chair and CEO of
the Farm Credit Administration, a position to which she was
appointed by President Barack Obama. She is the author of

(01:33):
Across the Aisle, Why by Partisanship works for America and
also the character of American democracy, Preserving our past, protecting
our future? And this from Roy Blunt, former United States Senator.
In Across the Aisle, Jill Long Thompson and her distinguished
fellow authors remind us of what I learned firsthand as

(01:55):
a senator. By partisanship is more than a slogan. It's
the driving force behind our democracy, and it's the only
way we can make progress as a nation. Our greatest
achievements have come when Republicans and Democrats have worked together.
The same will be true in the years ahead. And
this from Richard Gephart, former US House Majority Leader. This

(02:18):
book of essays, assembled by my former colleague, contains invaluable
information for present and future public servants at all levels
of government to understand the essential role of bipartisanship in
solving difficult problems. Our guest today is doctor Jill Long Thompson,

(02:46):
former congresswoman from Indiana and author, editor of across the aisle.
Why by partisanship works for America. Jill, thanks so much
for being with us today.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Thank you for inviting me.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Just to get started, it'd be nice if you could
tell our listeners a little bit about your background, which
pretty impressive by the way.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
I am a former member of Congress, but prior to
going to Congress getting elected to Congress, I was a
college professor.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
I grew up.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
On a grain and dairy farm in Indiana on a
dirt road, and because of the Defense and Education Act,
I was encouraged to go to college and am the
first in my family to go to college and believe
very strongly in programs that worked to help young people

(03:39):
develop their potential. Served in the United States House of Representatives.
I was also appointed as an undersecretary at the US
Department of Agriculture. I had the rural Development Programs as
my responsibility, and I was appointed to that position by
President Bill Clinton. And I was also the board chair

(04:00):
and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration, which is a
regulatory agency. It's a prudential regulator that oversees the farm
credit system, which is a system of private sector lending
institutions that lend for production agriculture and growing the infrastructure, utilities, infrastructure,

(04:23):
and so forth in rural America. And I when I
finished my career, although I don't know that it's actually
completely finished, but I taught at the Indiana University Kelly
School of Business and the O'Neill School of Public and
Environmental Affairs and taught ethics because I had done a

(04:44):
great deal of work in ethics in public service.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Is that all, Jill, that's it. That's very impressive. We
could spend the whole time talking about your background, but
today we're going to talk about bipartisanship, which is the
topic of your new book. So we're in a time
of extreme polarization, but it's not the first time America
has experienced that. Did you look back at our history
for other similar times with this kind of ranker when

(05:10):
you were starting to write the book.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
I had actually looked at the ranker.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
That we've experienced in this country prior to putting the
book together. And as you know, it is a collection
of essays written by both Democrats and Republicans. And it
makes me realize that because we have checks and balances
in our system and those are very important to preserving

(05:40):
democracy and upholding democratic principles. It can be very challenging
to get legislation passed and signed into law.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
And then.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
I also began to really appreciate the wisdom and foresight
of our found fathers that they were looking ahead to
all kinds of potential issues, domestic, foreign, national security. And
it's a really impressive document, the United States Constitution, and

(06:19):
it poses challenges, but it also has safeguards that are
very important to keeping democracy going.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah, I think that's a good point. I'm always impressed
with their foresight about everything. It seems like they addressed
it all in the Constitution in those early writings and
documents and laws that they put together. And of course
the times have changed completely, but it is pretty impressive.
Still so relevant. Since it's a democratic process and we
all vote for our representatives in Washington, is our feeling

(06:52):
about the way the country should be managed and run?
Is that reflective in the way that it actually is
managed and run. We vote for our representatives, our senators,
and everybody that's in leadership in the government, and this
is what we have.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
I think it's very challenging to be a responsible voter
in democracy because as the world has become more complex,
and if you think about globalization and technology and all
of the demands that people face just in everyday living,

(07:29):
it makes it difficult, I think, to not only become
familiar with the candidates, but to also understand all of
the policy areas that are that are important to us
remaining strong economically, having national security, upholding democracy. I think

(07:51):
it's important that we all understand, however, that democracy is
a form of government that is actually ethical in the
way it is designed because of the respect that we
are to have for our fellow citizens, and the process

(08:12):
of how we pass laws, how we execute them, how
we enforce them. That process in democracy is as important
as the laws slash policies themselves, and I think that's
often overlooked simply because people have so much on their
plates these days trying to just manage living.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
I think that's a great point. Now, you have several
noted contributors to the book, Trent Lott, Tom Dashel, Olympia Snowe,
to name just a few. What was your criteria for
looking for people and were they all interested in contributing.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
I was pleasantly surprised when I began this project, and
I was actually asked by Indiana University Press, the publisher,
to pair this book, and I just started reaching out
to colleagues, former colleagues, and friends and found that there
was genuinely enthusiasm for participating because both Democrats and Republicans,

(09:20):
we have people who are very committed to keeping this
country strong in both parties, and there are independents as
well and other political parties where the members really do
care about this country.

Speaker 3 (09:37):
I was.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
I'm not surprised that Trent Lott had an interest or
that Tom Dashell had an interest, but I was really
pleased that they wanted to actually contribute to the work
and to see that they still even post us Senate,
that they really do want to continue doing all they

(10:04):
can to keep.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
This country strong.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
As I recall growing up by partnership was really looked
on favorably and it was almost the way that politics
was done. That's the business of politics was done to
compromise and through working together. How do we reach this
point of polarization, And I know it's been a long
path to it, and it's not just one or two things,
but just in general, how do you feel like we've

(10:27):
gotten to the spot.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
I think that the development of technology and social media
platforms and how that eats into independent reporting, independent journalism.
I know we all get frustrated with professional journalists and
professional media from time to time and we think that

(10:53):
there needs to be more balanced and generally speaking, that's
true because we're all humans and we all have our biases,
we have different experiences, and we therefore look at situations
from our own individual perspectives. But I think that with
the loss of so many local media outlets, and that

(11:19):
means that people are not able to get information that
is as valid as what we have had in the past,
because people are getting their information from sources that are
truly trying to disinform or misinform the public. And there
is quite a difference between having a bias in the

(11:42):
way you present a topic and a situation versus out
trying to misinform so that you can get your way.
And so I just think the challenge is going to continue.
I think we will address it successfully, but it's going
to take time. But I think the more we talk

(12:06):
about the importance of bipartisanship and talking with and getting
to know and working with people who are of a
different political persuasion. I think the more we do that,
the sooner we'll get there.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
Those are all good points. In the social media one
is particularly a good one because I look at just
my children and they get information in a different way
than I do. I still long for the days when
we had just a couple of networks and I could
easily disseminate the news and watch Walter Cronkite and you
have a lot of confidence. But it's not like that

(12:43):
anymore now. The book does seem to be a lesson
for all of us, including future leaders. Was that partially
the intent?

Speaker 3 (12:51):
It was?

Speaker 1 (12:51):
I really wanted this book, although I was asked to
produce it. I wanted it to make a difference, to
be useful in the process of running our democracy. And
if I may, I'd like to share a definition of
democracy that was written by Jay Rowland panic the late

(13:16):
mister Pennock, who was just a very well known political scientist.
He defined democracy as government by the people, where liberty, equality,
and fraternity are secured to the greatest possible degree, and
in which human capacities are developed to the utmost by

(13:37):
means including free and full discussion of common problems and
interests and that free and full discussion, I think is
just so critical to making democracy work because we need
to incorporate the input of everyone, even the input of
those with whom we disagree. And I'm sure you have

(14:00):
seen these numbers, But in corporate America, those companies that
have diversity at the top of the organization, so that
they have diversity among their executives, they outperform financially the
companies that do not. And if you factor in gender diversity,

(14:22):
it improves even more. And the same thing is true.
I believe of democracy. Whenever I talk to somebody who
has an opinion different from mine, I learned something. And
we used to say that great minds think alike, but
actually great minds don't think alike. We think differently, and

(14:46):
with those different thoughts and different experiences and different understandings,
when we all get together, we come up with better ideas.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
You make a good point. I've seen the stat and
I think maybe it was a McKenzie study that showed
that business organizations that practice diversity, equity and inclusion not
just diversity, but it was good business. It's not just
a nice thing to do. Exactly, it makes the company
better and.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
It wasn't McKinsey study. You are correct.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Now.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
You were elected to the House in nineteen eighty nine
and served three terms. What was the greatest example of
compromise and collaboration between the parties that you experienced while
you served.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
I served on the House Agriculture Committee, and it was
one of the most bipartisan experiences one could have. When
we disagreed, it was usually based on the kinds of
commodities that we represented from our respective congressional districts.

Speaker 3 (15:46):
And so.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
We didn't care if someone we were working with was
in the other political party.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
If we had.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
Corn growing in our district and they had corn growing
in their district, we could find common solutions. And I
think that that is an example of what more largely
goes on among the human race in a country, and
that's that we really do have much more in common

(16:18):
than we think we do. We may have ideas about
different approaches for solving the common problems that we have
and facing the challenges that we face together, but when
people get together and put the politics aside and start talking,
we often discover that we're in much greater agreement than disagreement.

Speaker 2 (16:42):
Your fourth congressional district in Indiana was considered a long
time Republican district, right, and yet as a Democrat, how
did you manage to win three terms in a row there?

Speaker 1 (16:55):
I just worked very hard and got out and met people,
and as we've been talking, we discovered that we had
so much more in common.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
It's been.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Almost fifty years since since the last person prior to
me getting elected was a Democrat, and since I was
defeated in nineteen ninety four, we have not had a
Democrat represent that district, that part of Indiana, that northeastern

(17:29):
area of Indiana. And I truly think it was just
that I went everywhere and talked to as many people
as I could, but more importantly, I listened to what
people were saying. I'm a fiscal conservative, but I also
believe that democracy is a liberal concept and that we

(17:49):
are stronger when people have opportunities to realize their potential,
as I did by using a National Defense student loan
to go to college. I paid it back in total
and one payment early. I couldn't win unless Republicans voted
for me, and I was very honored by that the fact.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
That they did.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
I must have perceived something in you that made them
feel confident about the fact that you would listen to
all of them.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
That would be an honor to have people see me
that way, and that was my goal that I would
listen and I would incorporate their input, because that's what
a representative in the United States Congress should do. You're
representative of the people, not of the party.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
Now, of all those noted contributors you had in the book,
was there a common theme there that you would note?

Speaker 3 (18:39):
There was?

Speaker 1 (18:40):
And the common theme was that it's democracy, that bipartisanship
is challenging, and we have a structure that has checks
and balances that can slow things down, but when we
work together, we solve problems. And I think you would

(19:01):
find reference to that in every one of the essays
that was contributed. Congressman Marcy Captor from Toledo submitted an
essay in which she talked about the World War II
Memorial in Washington, d c. And it took more than
seventeen years from the time that she introduced the legislation

(19:23):
to create that memorial to it actually coming to fruition.
Who would think that something as non controversial as the
World War II Memorial would take that long, But She
talks about how it just when you're working through the
schedule for the particular session of Congress, there are so

(19:46):
many things that are coming up and interfering and so forth.
But legislating is not a simple process, and our founding
fathers didn't think it should be simple. It should contain
those checks and balances that ensure that we give thought
to legislation, that we listen to all of those who

(20:09):
have an opinion, that we respect one another and their
right to be a participant in the process. And so
if we're bipartisan, you're taking more time to pass something
and get it signed into law. At the same time,
you're probably creating a much better product.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
You served in the House for Indiana, you ran for Senator,
you ran for governor, your war chair, and CEO of
the Farm Credit Administration, among many many other things, including
now writing this book. What's inspired you in your life
to want to serve so long and so willingly and
so passionately.

Speaker 1 (20:48):
Thank you for asking that. This, of course, is very personal.
My dad was a Precinct committeeman, and when I was
in the first grade, he as I said, I grew
up on a dairy and grain farm, and when I
was in the first grade. One of our neighbors, who
was a farmer, was running for county sheriff. And when

(21:09):
I would come home from school and my brother, who
was a year older and is still a year older,
we were given a choice. We could go out with
mom and help her register voters, or we could go
help dad milk the cows. I chose to go with
my mom to register voters. My brother chose to go
with my dad and milk the cows, and he was

(21:31):
a pretty successful dairy farmer in his life. But I
just loved this opportunity to listen to our neighbors and
when my mother would help them get registered, and she
would only register Democrats because she was a volunteer with
the Democratic Party, but she would always share information on
how they could get registered, and she would say, I'm

(21:53):
sure someone will come by, but if not, you can
go to the county seat, and she would tell them
how to go through the registration process. And so I
always remembered that. And then when I was in graduate
school working on my PhD in business, it was in
the late nineteen seventies and we had double digit inflation

(22:14):
and we were in a recessionary period, and I would
listen to politicians on the evening news talk about how
to solve the economic challenges, and I realized that I
knew more, even as a student than some of them
who were talking. And I thought, you know what, maybe
I should I've been very blessed. Maybe I should use

(22:38):
what I've learned through this opportunity to get a master's
degree and now working on a doctorate. Maybe I should
use that for public service. And so when I chose
where I wanted to go teach, I chose to go
back to Valparaisa, where I had done my undergraduate work,
Valparaisa University because I had a acquaintances there and I

(23:01):
knew that it would be easy for me to get
settled in and become engaged in the community. Community service
and serving for the greater good was something that our
parents were very, very serious about, and I wanted to
make sure that I could make a contribution.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
I'll ask you one last question, what's your advice to
young people that are aspiring to serve? What would you
tell them?

Speaker 1 (23:30):
I would say, be the best that you can be,
don't underestimate what you can do, and show respect to everyone.
You don't have to agree with everyone. But if you
respect everyone and you treat them with respect, and you

(23:52):
care about them, and you care about fairness and balance,
you will make a much greater contribution in life.

Speaker 3 (24:02):
Than if you don't.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
And you will be much more satisfied with the life
that you're living when you can see the result of
the efforts that you have put forth.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
Well, that's great advice. The name of the book is
Across the Aisle by Bipartisanship Works for America. Doctor Jill
Long Thompson, former Congresswoman, Thank you so much for spending
some time with us. Really enjoyed all your comments and
your insights.

Speaker 3 (24:31):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
This has been enjoyable and I feel very privileged that
you are interested in the book.

Speaker 3 (24:38):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (24:43):
We'll be right back after the news at the bottom
of the hour.
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