As an 80-year-old guy who has lived through struggle and transformation, I've been spending a lot of my time talking with America's young people. Our conversations always come back to the same point: that a number of issues critical to their future need to be discussed, debated and acted upon, but it's just not happening. Issues of climate change, global terrorism, racial and economic disparities, failing public education, mass incarceration and unequal access to the new tech economy are all being vibrantly debated on college campuses and on the streets, but not in the halls of Congress, where it matters the most.

This has not always been the case in America's politics. I have the distinction of serving as the poster child for bipartisanship, referenced by former Republican colleagues as someone who changed their positions because of my willingness to deal with them with respect and integrity.

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