This article summarizes a conversation. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily reflect those of Across the Aisle™ or its programs, including Free the Facts™ and Answer the Call™.
Joe Manchin grew up in Farmington, WV, a small coal mining town of less than 400 people. John Boehner lived in a two-bedroom house with 11 siblings in Cincinnati, OH, and started working in the family-owned bar at the age of 8.
One got into politics by running for the West Virginia House of Delegates when he determined that his local delegate was not truly serving his constituents. The other became involved by joining his neighborhood homeowners association. Manchin went on to serve as governor of West Virginia and in the U.S. Senate from 2010 to 2025. Boehner became the 53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 2011 to 2015.
Both Senator Manchin [I-WV] and Speaker Boehner [R-OH] sat down for a conversation with Across the Aisle Chief Policy Officer Becky Tallent as part of our 2026 Summer Series. They shared how young Americans have a chance to create solutions to the biggest challenges facing our country.
“You’ve got a real opportunity staring you right in the face and we're going to try tonight to put some context around what you're doing and what your future might look like,” said Speaker Boehner.
Here are three lessons that Speaker Boehner and Senator Manchin shared for the next generation of leaders.
1. Remember, the People You Disagree with Aren’t Your Enemy. They’re Your Partner.
In today’s hyperpartisan environment, both Senator Manchin and Speaker Boehner have stood out because of their willingness to work across the aisle. That is a reflection of both of their personalities, but also because bipartisanship is really the only way to achieve meaningful solutions. Senator Manchin said, “You can have friendships without having to agree with everything, and you can still love the person that you have to work with every day and appreciate what they bring to the table.”
“Right now, the system is designed to where if you have an R by your name, you're supposed to not like or work with or discuss or have any type of conversations [with Democrats], and that's crazy. Guys, you all have to change that,” he added.
Both also stressed that changing this current system requires public servants to break down these walls by forging relationships with others even if they do not fully agree with them.
“You get to know someone. You get to like someone, but over time, if you're really going to be true friends and real legislators together, you've got to be able to trust one another,” said Speaker Boehner.
2. Lasting Solutions Begin with Finding Common Ground.
A common term to describe bipartisanship is the word “compromise,” a word that Speaker Boehner actually avoids. “I never liked the word ‘compromise’ because it sounds like you're giving your principles away,” he explained.
Instead, he prefers the phrase “finding common ground,” which requires the ability to listen.
“When you listen, you learn things. You learn what the objections are. You learn what their concerns are, and out of listening, you're able to find common ground. Then it's the common ground that you've got to plow and exploit to get things accomplished,” said Speaker Boehner.
Senator Manchin also emphasized that finding common ground begins with remembering that public servants serve all of their constituents no matter their political affiliations.
“You serve everybody, the people that voted for you, the people that voted against you, the people that work for you, the people that try to beat you…[Public service is] for the people, by the people and of the people. It's not for the parties. ” he said.
3. There are Real Challenges Facing America, but Every One of Them is Fixable.
Across the Aisle launched over 10 years ago with the goal of providing college students with reliable information about the fiscal issues facing their generation. Today, the U.S. national debt is more than $39 trillion and has surpassed 100% of the country’s GDP. Both Senator Manchin and Speaker Boehner believe that it is the greatest challenge facing the United States and that it will have to be addressed soon.
“Sooner or later, either your generation or the one right after you will say, ‘Enough's enough. We can't live [our] life. We can't buy a home. We can't do this or that. The market's blocking us everywhere, and that's because of debt.’ We're paying more on debt than we do to defend our nation,” said Senator Manchin.
However, they also agreed that it can be addressed and today’s generation of young public servants have the rare opportunity to improve their country.
“This is the only country in the world where we can fix every problem we just talked about. We have the ability to fix it. You do…You are the future of the United States of America. You're the future of the world because the world is looking to you for leadership. There's no one else who has the ability to have the leadership that you have right now in this room,” said Senator Manchin.
Speaker Boehner added, “You all have an opportunity while you're here to think about, what am I going to do when I grow up? But I'm going to give you a bigger challenge as you're thinking about all this. Who do you want to be?”
More on Summer Series 2026
Since 2017, Across the Aisle has hosted an annual summer event series for D.C. interns and junior staff to learn about the issues facing their generation, network, and launch their careers in public service.
Click here to learn more about this year’s theme, our speaker lineup, and how you can reserve your spot.
