Description

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Democracy has never been a quick or easy process by which to get things done. But many citizens are fed up with the current, extreme partisan gridlock at the national, state, and even local levels of government.  Dave Bishop spent most of his twenty years in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a member of the Republican minority, but that did not stop him from winning passage of legislation that benefited his district. In Finding Common Ground, he shares proven techniques and insightful examples of how minority members can gain the power to produce better laws and a healthier democracy.  Bishop reveals the inside stories of major Minnesota legislation through the 1980s and 1990s—the lottery, groundwater protection, the Living Will, the Northwest Airlines bailout, and much more—showing how real work can be done through respectful, healthy confrontation and compromise.  This concise handbook is a gift not just for policymakers but also for their constituents who are interested in effective and ethical legislating. Finding Common Ground provides a deeper understanding of the legislative process as well as greater respect for the complex work of legislators and legislatures.

Dave Bishop served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1983 to 2002 as a Republican representative from Rochester. Lori Sturdevant , Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist, has written and edited several books of Minnesota history, including The Pillsburys of Minnesota.

Praise For…

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“Legislating is a creative and dynamic process involving values, judgments, trade-offs, personalities, turf, drama, and more. Dave Bishop navigated all of it with charm, flair, intelligence, and dogged persistence.  Anyone who cares about the legislative process will benefit from reading this book.”  
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty

 

“Dave Bishop’s book should be required reading for all legislators. He is right—severe partisanship does threaten the very nature of democratic government. His concentration on details like humor, persistence, bill wording, and vote counting, with historic examples, is priceless.”
Minnesota State Representative Phyllis Kahn
 

“Finding Common Ground is a refreshing antidote to our current era of ideological and partisan gridlock in government. Dave Bishop provides vivid instruction about the importance and utility of legislative pragmatism. It’s a vital lesson too often overlooked by a cynical public, political activists, and a media that overplays conflict and scandal.”
Steven E. Schier, Congdon Professor of Political Science, Carleton College