In Washington, how about a timeout?

Those of us who have children or grandchildren are very familiar with the need to rein them in when they act up. The traditional way that has worked for all of us is to declare a “timeout.” Timeouts work most of the time, which is why I’m very much in favor of a national timeout for the leaders of the two political parties.

I know that asking for six months or so of civility is a big deal. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged that if he does nothing else between now and the next election, he wants to make President Obama a one-term president. So I don’t expect McConnell to be part of a political truce.

If ever there was a chance for a timeout in Washington, it will have to come from Republican House Speaker John Boehner and his majority leader, Eric Cantor. Last week, both men actually took a step back from mean-spirited partisanship when President Obama announced his job program in a speech to Congress.

Boehner, who loves to take swipes at the president, decided not to respond to Obama’s proposal, and Cantor issued a statement saying it was “time for compromise.” No one knows what the word compromise means to Boehner and Cantor, but this could be the start of something very positive for the country.

Over the past two years, House Republicans haven’t paid much attention to the mood of the country. They had a field day holding up the debt extension bill and passing bills that would dramatically alter Medicare and Social Security and kill regulations dealing with clean air, consumer protection and extension of unemployment insurance. They put the Democratic Senate on the defensive and succeeded in tying the country in knots.

So what happened that would force Boehner and Cantor to temporarily make nice?

In Latin it’s vox populi: the voice of the people. Poll after poll shows that the Congress has an approval rating of only 14 percent. Republicans poll even worse than Democrats, but neither party has anything to be proud of.

Like it or not, Democrats and Republicans will both be seeking re-election next year. If the public is angry at both parties, then no one is a safe bet for re-election. So perhaps Boehner and Cantor figured out that the public is prepared to sock it to all incumbents.

No matter how aloof the Washington leaders are, they can’t ignore the state of the nation. The country is in deep trouble. The voters are disgusted with Congressional gridlock. Unemployment is chronic, and that’s the fault of both parties. Foreclosures are up, banks are giving out very few loans and America’s biggest companies are flush with cash and holding on to it.

The Republican candidates for president have nothing of substance to say and fill the airwaves with meaningless sound bites about global warming, health care and how Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. At a time when people are hungry for ideas and solutions, they are fed ugly partisan speeches.

Republican politicians in D.C. should take a page out of State Sen. Dean Skelos’s playbook. Skelos enjoyed a strong year after partnering with Democratic Governor Cuomo on a host of issues. He toned down his press statements and made his majority conference look like leaders. He had a choice to follow previous leaders and create gridlock, but he took the high road and won the battle.

So, in the name of getting the country back on track, it’s time for the leaders of Congress to declare a timeout from petty politics and pass a jobs bill and any other bills that will help America regain its luster.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comment below or write to JKremer@liherald.com.