Senator Angus King from Maine, in a 60 Minutes interview this week, talked about the importance of being an Independent in a divided Senate. The parties are divided into "distrustful, armed camps," where practical solutions are almost impossible because you "can't give the other side a victory." He expressed hope that the closely-divided Senate will give more influence to moderates.

Sen. King also said that focusing on "what will work ... rather than ideology" will help repair "the tattered fabric" of the country. Many Americans are "profoundly alienated from our system," and need to reclaim "a sense of community" and "reciprocity of good will."

In a column yesterday in USA Today, law professor Peter Schuck and Philip Howard argue that the best path to overcome partisan deadlock is to appoint an independent commission on why government performs so poorly. An independent commission has no need to hew to ideology or special interests, and can propose practical solutions to endemic public problems, such as failing schools, police unaccountability, and the botched pandemic response. Similar to the base-closing commissions that cut through the political gridlock on which defense bases to shutter, an independent commission is probably the only way to start down the path Sen. King recommends: to "ring the bell of common sense."

• Philip discusses our call for an independent government review commission on The Bond Buyer podcast.

• In an interview with the Delaware Business Times, Philip argues that the Biden Administration can appeal across the aisle with a message of "Better Government, Less Red Tape."

Subscribe to our newsletter here.