“American progress is driven by clever ideas, but in our nation’s capital, this idiom has been turned on its head: politicians with clever ideas often stand in the way of genuine progress. It doesn’t matter how many points there are to a presidential candidate’s jobs plan. Real economic recovery will come from a fundamental change in how our leaders think and operate, and that means abandoning the quick-fix mentality.

“In a strange new ritual, Washington routinely grinds to a halt to deal with some crisis or another. One moment it’s a looming tax hike, the next a government shutdown. One week it’s a threatened default on our national debt; the next it’s triggered sequesters or benefit cuts.

“The common thread in these episodes: a politician with a quick fix. Each aims to address our government’s fiscal problems without significant policy reform or sacrifice by any American (voter). And, ironically, though each was designed to avoid short-term economic pain, the gimmicks have only deepened our fiscal hole and made genuine economic recovery less likely. The parade of clever ideas has ensnared Washington in a never-ending cycle of self-inflicted crises and hyped-up doomsday deadlines. ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.’”

To read the complete op-ed, please visit The Hill.