Crow Talks National Service, Bipartisanship at Sedona Forum

SEDONA, ARIZ. — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Armed Services Committee, spoke recently at the McCain Institute’s annual Sedona Forum.

In a panel titled “Governing Together in a Divided Era: Finding Common Ground,” Crow was joined by Congressman Craig Goldman (R-TX) to discuss how Americans can find common ground and build a new future that responds to working class families.

“There is an unbelievable appetite for something different in America,” Congressman Crow said at the Sedona Forum. “What I can tell you is that in red districts, rural districts, and working class districts, there is an unbelievable appetite for people who are willing to put the country first, who are willing to serve above partisan politics, and who are willing to try to find a way to work together.”

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Below are excerpts from Congressman Crow during the discussion, which can be viewed here:

On the future of politics:

“Let's not forget that an entire generation of Americans have grown up in the last decade, and they know nothing about politics other than the era of Trump...They've never seen it work. Or, even more realistically, that hasn't delivered for them, right? That is the honest truth—it hasn't delivered for vast swaths of our country and the younger generation. They don't see the upward mobility. They don't see the American dream accessible to them. So the answer has to be we're going to build something new.”

On national divisions:

“The challenge that we're facing now within our political system is we have lost a unifying national story, right? Every country and society must have a unifying story that we can rally around. That's not to say that we whitewash the past and our failings and our problems of the past. But there are two stories that have always been in competition in America: the story of individualism and rights and the story of responsibilities and duty. Both of these strands are extremely important, and right now they're out of whack. They're out of balance… If we can figure out how to merge those two again and rebalance that, we're kind of limitless.”

On national service:

“There's an appetite for national public service. And that is an area where I think we can actually work together, right now, across partisan lines. What we need in America is a national public service initiative. The best way to get Americans to work together, is to have Americans work together, right? …We need to actually get people rolling up their sleeves, digging ditches, teaching in classrooms, sweating, working side by side to reinvigorate that sense of humanity.”

On the importance of leadership: 

“What leaders say matters. They set the tone. I'm somebody who believes in the preeminence of leadership in our society that leaders really do set not only just the tone but the agenda for how our country works, and they can convene and bring people together, or they can divide people.”

On bipartisan legislation:

“Social media is a huge driver, and I think it's destroying not just our politics but I think it's destroying our families. I think it's destroying our children…And I think we can actually legislate on that. There is actually tremendous bipartisan legislation in the works right now to deal with this because this is a family issue that's impacting everybody, whether you're a Republican or Democrat.”

Congressman Crow continues to lay out his affirmative vision for Colorado and the country, including with recent speeches on the Future of American Foreign Policy and promoting a New American Patriotism. Crow is looking to build a future that brings Americans together, protects our democracy, and ensures leaders are accountable to working class Americans.

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