Americans solve problems when they work together. That's according to former Illinois congressman and member of the president's cabinet, Ray LaHood, and the subject of his recent book, "Seeking Bipartisanship: My Life in Politics."
That's also the topic for his lecture Tuesday night at Augustana College.
LaHood says a good example of both parties working together was when Bill Clinton was president.
"Republicans were in control: we passed welfare reform, we passed tax reform, we passed two transportation bills. None of that could have been done with just one party."
And he blames the advent of the Tea Party and super pacs, and the influence of money, for the sorry state of the federal government today.
"The Tea Party people are the nay-sayers in politics today. They vote "no" on everything, they don't really believe in the jobs they have, and they've influenced politics I think in a way that in some ways has brought government to a standstill."
But despite how endangered bipartisanship might seem nowadays, LaHood remains optimistic, saying it's something the vast majority of Americans want. And when it's allowed to work again, will help us fix immigration, the tax code, our infrastructure, and many other problems.
His book is co-authored with Frank Mackaman.
