Fighting for Common Ground: How We Can Fix the Stalemate in Congress

After four decades as a legislator, Snowe (R-ME) presents a strong case for the trouble with the current Congress: a lack of civility. A well-known consensus builder who made a career of reaching across the aisle, Senator Snowe was discouraged by the intolerance she witnessed at the 2012 Republican convention in Maine and the inertia of the 112th Congress. With campaign attack ads and bloggers lowering the political tone, the lifelong Republican chose to quit government and work as a "catalyst for change" outside the Beltway. A daughter of Greek immigrants, orphaned by age nine, and widowed at 26, Snowe overcame Dickensian odds in her rise to political prominence. In 1973 the people of Auburn, Maine, elected her to carry the mantle of her first husband, Rep. Peter Snowe, after his tragic, fatal car crash. Snowe identifies Congressional procedures and campaign finance as key areas requiring an immediate overhaul. Among the reforms she proposes is "No Budget, No Pay", which would dock salaries for senators unless they approve a budget. Her newly formed Olympia's List seeks to erode partisanship by supporting candidates committed to getting results through compromise and raising the standards of civility not just in D.C., but across a nation where rudeness rules. (May)