Not long ago I was chatting with a long-time Hill staffer about the state of Congress. Our conversation hit upon troubles familiar to just about any American, like the broken budget process. We also spoke of less salient drags on legislative productivity, such as the high turnover of the staff who help legislators get things done.  One of the staffer’s comments, however, keeps recurring to me. “I think a real problem is that legislators don’t hang out with one another nearly enough.” He observed that legislators are in Washington, D.C. for, perhaps, four days a week when chambers are in session. Their days in D.C. are heavily scheduled: They attend political party meetings, fundraisers, committee and subcommittee hearings, visits with supporters and constituents and other events….(Read more)