As President Obama travels to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for meetings seeking alternatives to the "sequester" cuts, we hardly need another reminder that our nation desperately needs to unify, working to advance the the best ideas of both parties. Some bipartisan success might be just what Washington needs to build trust and find consensus on the thornier issues that divide us. One step the president could take is to consider more of the most thoughtful ideas advanced by his opponent in last fall's election and to move more quickly on those he has already embraced.
Last summer, we led a behind-the-scenes effort to plan for a potential Romney
administration. Hundreds of well-regarded policy thinkers developed a set of
concrete proposals to create jobs and put our nation on a sound fiscal path.
Though we know there will be disagreement in some details, there is enough
agreement that real change is possible.
Safe, secure entitlements
The president has noted his interest in ensuring both Medicare and Social
Security are sustainable for the long run. He has also called for stabilizing
our debt trajectory with an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. Both
are important goals, but we should go further and consider how, over time, we
can actually reduce the nation's debt-to-GDP ratio without additional tax
increases.
Obama should consider reforms such as the inclusion of greater competition and
choice in Medicare, as well as means-testing benefits and gradually increasing
eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security, not just to cut the federal
budget, but to ensure that promises Washington make are the ones we can keep.
Recent discoveries make North American energy independence possible within a
decade and have the potential to revive manufacturing while creating millions of
American jobs. States should be given greater authority to control onshore
energy development. Offshore areas should be opened to exploration while
safeguards are developed to ensure this is done responsibly. We should work
closely with Canada and Mexico to facilitate greater cross-border energy
investment and infrastructure development.
Expanding trade
There is consensus that opening markets abroad helps American consumers and
creates American jobs. Obama's plans to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership free
trade area and open talks with Europe on a similar deal are encouraging. But to
move forward, Obama needs congressionally endorsed Trade Promotion Authority,
which forces an up-or-down vote on any deal.
There is also consensus that our tax system is too costly and stifles business.
In the State of the Union, Obama renewed his call for comprehensive tax reform.
Previously, bipartisan negotiators were reportedly close to a deal that would
significantly lower corporate tax rate to make us more globally competitive
while slashing complexity. Individual taxes should get the same treatment,
lowering tax rates while broadening the base of taxable income.
For Romney supporters like us, the next four years are not about what might have
been, but rather about what could be if we put aside political differences and
work on sensible policies. President Obama needs to press harder to take
advantage of this opportunity.
Michael Leavitt chaired the Romney transition team. Lanhee Chen was policy
director for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.
