D-Montana’s former governor Steve Bullock (left) and former governor R-Maryland (right) said the current governor could play a greater role in national issues that are likely to be left to Congress and the White House if they come together. (Photo of Daniel Brown/Maryland)

In a country flooded with endless waves of talking heads, critics and fiery social media posts, two bipartisan former governors said the solution to America’s political tremor may be speaking more.

But former Republican Maryland governor and Democrat Steve Bullock, who is not talking on the air or with like-minded political parties. Instead, it’s about sitting down and talking together about a common ground.

That was the message that two former state leaders and the former chairman of the former Governor’s Association said during the one-hour panel. “Federalism has been tested: How the state navigates in an age of uncertainty.” It will be hosted Tuesday morning by Pew Charitable Trusts and States Newsroom.

Both Bullock and Hogan said most Americans agree to one thing despite an obvious growing list of issues dividing the country.

The Minnesota assassination urges many lawmakers to wonder: Is service worthy of danger?

They said organizations like the National Association of Governors provide a model of how to find a common foundation and advocate for solutions. And both governors know something about bipartisan work, as GOP member Hogan served two terms in Maryland’s Democratic-controlled state. Meanwhile, Democrat Bullock served two terms, achieving Medicaid expansion and campaign spending reforms, serving as a Congress for nearly two-thirds of Republicans.

“There’s a lot more to unite us than to divide us,” Hogan said, adding that it was a message that resonated with the deep, liberal Maryland, as it emphasized general solutions and bipartisanship.

“Politics that divide the nation doesn’t have to divide the nation,” Hogan said. “It seems like people these days want to win the argument rather than provide solutions to solve problems.”

The current governor may be missing out on the opportunity to play a greater role in national issues that are likely to be relegated to Congress and the White House, they said. They agreed that if the governors were gathered together, they might be good at checking the power of Congress or the president.

“When you’re governor, you have to actually govern,” Brock said. “It means you have to keep focused on your own condition and what’s going on with your people.”

It gives the governor their concerns and empowers them to stand together to influence federal leaders. One example they used was the way the Governor’s Association collaborated during the community pandemic. Instead of meeting Quarterly, they held weekly meetings via Zoom.

“We didn’t all agree, but we didn’t fight. We simply said, these are things we need, and it was productive,” Hogan said.

Hogan also promoted a massive infrastructure bill shaped by bipartisan opinions from the governors of both parties.

“We haven’t seen that enough,” Hogan said.

Both can thrust the federal bubble in Washington, DC, so the governor said it is important in the feedback circle.

Hogan, for example, said Maryland was able to eliminate 7,000 jobs through “mesulpel and attrition” during his tenure, thus maintaining a high recognition rating as governor, approaching nearly 75% of the statewide.

“What happened in (the government’s Ministry of Efficiency) is that we took x of meat instead of the exact tool,” Hogan said. “And every time you fire someone, it affects the real people.”

The governor is the closest people, and those stories can be shared by state leaders.

In Montana, the impact is prominent when visitors travel a “once in a lifetime trip” to places like Yellowstone or Glacier National Park, where visitors may have less comfort or extraordinary lines.

“At the end of the day, the state government is not going to pay those employees, so when someone is on a lifelong dream holiday in Glacier National Park and they can’t get to where they want, the state will have to work with federal services,” Brock said. “Unfortunately, people have to feel the pain to be authentic.”

He also sought more accountability for elected leaders to the local level, and to the local level, he avoided questioning and reporting the components. He said the media must hold officials accountable when leaders don’t speak and by telling the public what questions were asked.

He further said that true bipartisans, although not always agree, start with individuals willing to support leaders who demonstrate their commitment to bipartisan solutions.

“Is America’s most dangerous place today around Thanksgiving tables?” Brock asked.

Hogan said extreme gerrymandering and political primary elections, which select the more extreme aspects of each party, contribute to a sense of undulation and polarization.

“We have an exhausted majority,” Hogan said. “The public is tired of it. That’s why people are running away from both parties and becoming politically independent.”

(Stateline) It is a nonprofit news network that is part of the state newsroom and supports a coalition of grants and donors as a public charity of 501C(3). Stateline maintains editorial independence. For questions, please contact editor Scott S. Greenberger. info@stateline.org. )