Press Conference USA

OLYMPIA SNOWE, FORMER US SENATOR, MAINE, CURRENT SENIOR FELLOW, BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER   On this edition of the program, host Carol Castiel talks with former Republican Senator from the state of Maine, Olympia Snowe, now senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Co-chair of its Commission on Political Reform, about recommendations in the Commission's newly released report, "Governing in a Polarized America: A Bipartisan Blueprint to Strengthen our Democracy." Snowe, a centrist Republican who consistently "reached across the aisle" to forge consensus with like-minded Democrats during her 18-year tenure in the Senate, bemoans what she calls the "politics of destruction" and polarization that have come to characterize US politics. She and her Commission colleagues, a mix of Democrats and Republicans, advocate short and long-term reforms, such as independent re-districting commissions and more grassroots involvement in public service, to re-kindle bipartisanship, reduce congressional dysfunction and strengthen the U.S government on the national and global stage.