I'm Alan Olga and this is Clear In Vivid, conversations about connecting and communicating.

One of the most profound moments I ever experienced was being on the floor, having a really

animated argument with a Republican on the floor.

So bad that the speaker had to start pounding the gavel.

When we walked out and sat on the balcony and he looked at me, his face was red and

he was very angry and he said, have you seen the schedule this weekend?

And I said, yeah, they just released it.

We're going to be here voting this weekend.

And he just his face fell and he said, this weekend is my daughter's graduation from high

school.

I promised her I'd be there.

I'm going to miss it.

I'm sorry about what happened inside.

I was just in a really bad mood.

That's how members of Congress can communicate as human beings.

The problem is there's very little incentive to do that these days because members' districts

have been drawn so far to the left and right.

They're in an echo chamber and they don't want to communicate on the other side of the

aisle.

That Steve Israel who served in the House of Representatives for 16 years ending in 2017.

He retired as he likes to say unindicted and undefeated.

I'm very grateful to Steve who was one of the earliest supporters of the Center for

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