By Scott Cowen

The Huffington Post

Dec. 3, 2012

Recently, the Bipartisan Policy Center held its annual summit at Tulane University. Hosted by James Carville and Mary Matalin, and attended by both Republican and Democratic power brokers, the summit is an opportunity to advance bipartisan solutions to issues facing our country in the areas of health care, energy, national security, transportation and the economy.

Attending the Summit, I couldn't help but wonder if such bipartisan cooperation, at least at the federal level, was a bygone practice doomed to the dustbin of history -- a dream for Americans who long to see our country reaffirm and strengthen its position of leadership in the world.

Innovation, technological advancements, unparalleled competitiveness, and the resulting economic prosperity were essential to making the U.S. the country it is today. But partisan politics in Washington D.C. weakens our ability to retain these characteristics and threatens the very future for generations to come. At the heart of this impasse is the inability of our leaders to agree on ways to reduce the federal deficit and manage our debt without eviscerating necessary government spending.

Failure to avert the pending fiscal cliff, including the calamitous budget tool of sequestration, by Jan. 2, 2013, could start us down a potentially disastrous economic road. Instead of a judicious program of cutbacks, chosen and crafted with bipartisan support, sequestration would force automatic, drastic reductions in discretionary spending across the federal government, including defense, education, science, and social service programs. These cuts would be counterproductive to the short and long-term interests of our country, thwarting our safety and security, our innovation and growth -- the very goals the U.S. must achieve to remain strong and competitive.

Read the full op-ed here

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Annual Political Summit 2012