The pandemic alone is a call to our elected officials for the type of leadership and vision we expect at a moment of crisis, says the report, which grew out of interviews conducted by Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of communication at American University, and Mark Sobol, an author and expert on organizational development and executive leadership. But we are also facing another reckoning, one over our nations original sin and the racial inequities that have beset our country since its founding.

The study ticks through familiar themes when it comes to assessing the sorry state of Congress: the lack of any real across-the-aisle relationships, a schedule that limits opportunities for interaction, too much power concentrated in leadership, constant fund-raising demands, discouragement of bipartisanship, the negative influence of round-the-clock media, the fact that the most important election for lawmakers is often their primary, and the shutting out of minority-party voices.

It also warns that the shifts toward a more virtual Congress as a result of the pandemic, such as a new system of proxy voting in the House that allows lawmakers to cast their votes without traveling to Washington, could exacerbate the existing problems. If the idea of a remote Congress takes hold, the report suggests, it would be a serious setback to efforts to enhance bipartisan interaction.

Because of the pandemic, Congress was forced to conduct much of its business virtually, and we certainly understand why, the report said. But as much as that may have been a necessity, it should not be interpreted as a virtue.

The document says Congress needs more and not less in-person interaction among members of Congress. They need to learn more about each others districts, hold civil conversations aimed at finding common ground, build relationships of trust that can lead understanding and solutions.

In a week when Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, was verbally assaulted without provocation by Representative Ted Yoho, Republican of Florida, and fellow Republicans ganged up on Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, in a hostile confrontation, the call for civility rang especially true.

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Congress Was Already Broken. The Coronavirus Could Make It Worse. - The New York Times