Bipartisanship and Relationships are the Keys to Our Success
By: David Daniel
The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity on political issues involving the insurance industry. President Barack Obama’s administration has proposed huge changes to the financial services sector, and Congress has debated and deliberated on everything from systemic risk to threats of federal insurance regulation to health care reform. Additionally, legislation on national catastrophe insurance, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), crop insurance and small business tax reform is pending in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Agents across the country receive grassroots alerts and read about the Big “I” Capitol Hill team via Insurance News & Views, the Big “I” weekly e-mail news publication, and often ask how they can get involved. The calls to action are plenty and all hands are needed on deck to protect our industry during this critical time. Now, more than ever, it’s urgent for Big “I” members to be involved in the political process and to makes our voices heard.
Some argue that since the Democratic Party controls the White House, Senate and the House, the importance of bipartisanship has faded. After all, since the Democrats have enough votes in the Senate to block a filibuster and a huge majority in the House, shouldn’t associations, like the Big “I”, just focus on lobbying Democrats and put the Republicans on the back-burner? The answer is absolutely not. Bipartisanship is still very important to passing legislation in Congress.
The founding fathers of this great nation designed our government with an intricate checks and balances system so it can’t be overhauled overnight, even when one party has a large majority in Congress and controls the White House. In order to get anything done in Washington without burning any bridges, bipartisanship is essential. It is also important to note that the nature of politics is cyclical. The Republican Revolution of the early 1990s didn’t last forever and, in accordance with the political patterns of our nation, it is likely that the tides will shift again. With recent news coming from the nation’s capital, some would say this change may come sooner rather than later.
The Big “I” is well aware of this need for bipartisanship and that trade associations play a key role in educating members of Congress from both parties on important issues that impact their members. We have a powerful and well respected bipartisan team in Washington that couldn’t be better positioned to advocate for the 22,500 independent agency members and 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees who count on them for representation. The Big “I” is up to the task of ensuring that the voice of independent agents continues to be heard in Washington, and tirelessly works with the Obama Administration, both sides of the aisle and other stakeholders to protect the continuing success and security of our members.
The Big “I” government affairs team is comprised of top Democrats and Republicans who have all previously worked on Capitol Hill—giving them the inside knowledge critical to representing your interests. The lobbying team of three Democrats and two Republicans is lead by Charles Symington, Big “I” senior vice president of government affairs. In addition to their professional and academic credentials, this experienced group of professionals has strong connections and relationships on Capitol Hill.
So, can an agent outside the D.C. area make a difference? The answer is a resounding “yes!” In fact, agents often make the biggest difference. Agents meet with their members of Congress, attend town hall meetings, engage others in grassroots campaigns and write letters to the editor to dozens of local newspapers across the country. More than 1,000 agents come to Washington every year for the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference and spend a day lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Many members also choose to get involved on the various Big “I” government affairs committees or task forces or by contributing to InsurPac, the association’s federal political action committee (PAC), which has grown to become the largest property-casualty insurance industry PAC in the nation.
Independent insurance agents are known for being politically astute and getting involved both locally and nationally. Our active members and our powerful Capitol Hill team are essential components to maintaining and growing the association’s political clout on both sides of the aisle. By working together, we can all continue to ensure the success of our industry and best serve America’s families and businesses.
—David Daniel, Chairman
Agents across the country receive grassroots alerts and read about the Big “I” Capitol Hill team via Insurance News & Views, the Big “I” weekly e-mail news publication, and often ask how they can get involved. The calls to action are plenty and all hands are needed on deck to protect our industry during this critical time. Now, more than ever, it’s urgent for Big “I” members to be involved in the political process and to makes our voices heard.
Some argue that since the Democratic Party controls the White House, Senate and the House, the importance of bipartisanship has faded. After all, since the Democrats have enough votes in the Senate to block a filibuster and a huge majority in the House, shouldn’t associations, like the Big “I”, just focus on lobbying Democrats and put the Republicans on the back-burner? The answer is absolutely not. Bipartisanship is still very important to passing legislation in Congress.
The founding fathers of this great nation designed our government with an intricate checks and balances system so it can’t be overhauled overnight, even when one party has a large majority in Congress and controls the White House. In order to get anything done in Washington without burning any bridges, bipartisanship is essential. It is also important to note that the nature of politics is cyclical. The Republican Revolution of the early 1990s didn’t last forever and, in accordance with the political patterns of our nation, it is likely that the tides will shift again. With recent news coming from the nation’s capital, some would say this change may come sooner rather than later.
The Big “I” is well aware of this need for bipartisanship and that trade associations play a key role in educating members of Congress from both parties on important issues that impact their members. We have a powerful and well respected bipartisan team in Washington that couldn’t be better positioned to advocate for the 22,500 independent agency members and 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees who count on them for representation. The Big “I” is up to the task of ensuring that the voice of independent agents continues to be heard in Washington, and tirelessly works with the Obama Administration, both sides of the aisle and other stakeholders to protect the continuing success and security of our members.
The Big “I” government affairs team is comprised of top Democrats and Republicans who have all previously worked on Capitol Hill—giving them the inside knowledge critical to representing your interests. The lobbying team of three Democrats and two Republicans is lead by Charles Symington, Big “I” senior vice president of government affairs. In addition to their professional and academic credentials, this experienced group of professionals has strong connections and relationships on Capitol Hill.
So, can an agent outside the D.C. area make a difference? The answer is a resounding “yes!” In fact, agents often make the biggest difference. Agents meet with their members of Congress, attend town hall meetings, engage others in grassroots campaigns and write letters to the editor to dozens of local newspapers across the country. More than 1,000 agents come to Washington every year for the annual Big “I” Legislative Conference and spend a day lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Many members also choose to get involved on the various Big “I” government affairs committees or task forces or by contributing to InsurPac, the association’s federal political action committee (PAC), which has grown to become the largest property-casualty insurance industry PAC in the nation.
Independent insurance agents are known for being politically astute and getting involved both locally and nationally. Our active members and our powerful Capitol Hill team are essential components to maintaining and growing the association’s political clout on both sides of the aisle. By working together, we can all continue to ensure the success of our industry and best serve America’s families and businesses.
—David Daniel, Chairman
This month’s issue
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