Meet the Common Sense Coalition — the bipartisan group of senators who ended the government shutdown by Michal Kranz on Jan 23, 2018, 4:35 PM Advertisement
 When the federal government reopened on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's deal to put off immigration negotiations in favor of a short-term spending plan took center stage — but a bipartisan group of centrist senators were celebrating their own victory. The moderate group, who call themselves the Common Sense Coalition, came together for a series of meetings behind the scenes. Led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins, they were able to successfully create the united front needed to push the leaders of the two parties together to finalize a deal. Whether this centrist coalition will last is unclear. But for the time being, these compromise-minded lawmakers are helping pave the way for bipartisan dealmaking in an age of intractable political tribalism. Meet the 23 senators in the Common Sense Coalition: SEE ALSO: Trump won by standing on the sidelines during the shutdown — but it could be short-lived DON'T MISS: Senators resolved the shutdown with help from a 'talking stick' that was thrown and chipped a glass elephant Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, led the coalition meetings in her office, and used a tribal Masai talking stick to maintain order and facilitate cordial discussion. Fellow senators described her office as "our little Switzerland."  Sources: Business Insider, New York Times, Collins' office
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, also praised Collins' leadership. He described her office as "the one place we can all go and feel good."  Source: New York Times
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, co-founded the coalition alongside Collins.  Source: New York Times
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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