Over the years I have had any number of nicknames, but I’ve never particularly cared for any of them.  In high school, the name Keebler had its genesis when someone noticed that my ears do not curl over, and I thus bore a resemblance to certain elves.  In college many referred to me by a name that was a constant, if not necessarily welcome, reminder of my willingness to embarrass myself for a good cause.

The other day the owner of my new gym used my newest nickname as he called across the floor to cheer me on.  Once again I would not have picked “Burger” if I got to choose my own name, but hearing him call out and cheer me on as I had one-and-a-half times my body weight on a barbell was a great boost.  It’s also a big reason why I pay 20 times more to go to this gym, one of the CrossFit variety, and why I work out there several times a week instead of several times a year.

In short, it comes down to culture.  There is a culture at this gym where everyone makes an effort to learn your name (or nickname), where people cheer you on when you are struggling, and where you are always pushed to improve.  This is a stark comparison to my old gym where everyone walked in and out with headphones on and nary was a head nodded in anyone else’s direction.

In recent days we have seen on this blog several of my fellow Millennials make some astute observations about the hyper-partisan culture that exists in our nation’s capital.  Caitlin has lamented that “our country is growing increasingly divided when it comes to confronting the immense challenges that we face,” and she is right to call for a “serious evaluation about how our nation’s business is being conducted.”

What we need to focus on is not the nuts and bolts of how a bill becomes a law, but how the people in Washington interact with one another.  As Robert noted last week, “Any movement that requires one party reaching and maintaining a durable supermajority to achieve its goals is doomed to failure.  The two-party system is not an endangered species in America.  Bipartisanship is necessary for success.”

You can’t have bipartisanship in a culture where you don’t even speak to those with whom you disagree, though.  If we want both sides to start working together, they need to begin by talking to one another.  While no one would ever accuse me of being shy, I have always found that it is a lot easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger in a bar after you’ve had a couple.

I truly believe that many of the problems we face as a nation could be solved if there were mandatory Congressional happy hours for staff and senators alike.  (And, as a CUA alumnus, I can vouch for most of the establishments on Capital Hill.)  Put members of both parties in a pub together, hand out some drink tickets, and maybe even play some ridiculous ice breaking games to get people interacting with each other.

Do this for a couple of weeks and watch the progress that gets made.  Once both sides recognize that the other guy isn’t hell bent on the destruction of America, I imagine that a few will find some common ground.  After that a few compromises might be made, and before you know it we will be passing desperately needed legislation.  Who knows, a few friendships might even be formed along the way.

Caitlin thinks that pumpkin pie might be the answer, and I prefer something a little stronger, but I think we both can agree that what really matters is that both sides come to the table.