Washington ( CNN ) -- In his retirement announcement , Republican Sen. Saxby Cambliss cited `` the dearth of meaningful action from Congress '' as one reason for not seeking re-election next year . `` The debt-ceiling debacle of 2011 and the recent fiscal-cliff vote showed Congress at its worst and , sadly , I do n't see the legislative gridlock and partisan posturing improving anytime soon , '' the Capitol Hill veteran said in a statement . Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin can appreciate Chambliss ' sentiments . When was asked earlier this month about the functionality of Congress , he chalked up the body 's poor legislative record to a few problems . The most important one , he said , was the fact that members do n't know one another outside of work . `` In two years [ since he came to Washington ] , we have not had , in the Senate , a bipartisan caucus , where Democrats and Republicans talked about the problems of the day to try and find commonality , '' he lamented . Manchin is not alone . `` It is very sad . And I know many times I would look up on TV and I would see somebody and then the name would come up and it would say 'member of Congress ' and I 'd go ' I do n't even know who that is , ' '' said former Republican Rep. Connie Mack , who lost his re-election bid in November . It is a common refrain on the Hill -- the idea that if Congress were more social , more buddy-buddy outside the Capitol complex , that it would be more functional in doing the people 's work . The good old days . The truth is not that simple , according to former leaders of the Senate and House . The nostalgia for the `` good ol ' days , '' when members would play tennis atop the Hart Office Building and drink whiskey after hours , may be tempting to admire , but it is far from the cure-all for Washington 's seemingly unbreakable gridlock , they say . `` Nostalgia is always great , '' Dan Glickman , a former Democratic representative from Kansas and senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center , said with a laugh . `` Sometimes I remember my life as congressman in the '80s positively and my wife says I am dreaming . 'You hated it , ' she will say , '' he said . Glickman was in Congress from 1977 to 1995 then was President Bill Clinton 's agriculture secretary until 2001 . He said he watched Congress change in the late 1990s and 2000s and wondered about the tipping point . His synopsis : Congress is like other organizations , except it has 535 independent contractors rather than a business-like structure built around a chain of command . `` Congress is no different than any other organization , if people do n't get along , then you get dysfunction , '' Glickman said . `` Basic principles of just human interaction are if you do n't like each other and you distrust each other , that is a recipe for an unproductive life . '' If numbers are any judge , the 112th Congress was markedly unproductive . The 220 laws enacted were the least in four decades . One fifth dealt with naming or renaming post offices and federal buildings . By comparison , the 100th Congress enacted 713 laws . DC an electoral death trap . Being more sociable `` is not the cure-all , '' Glickman said . Other former members of Congress and high-level aides say the good old days may have been nicer , sociability wo n't lead to bipartisanship . `` I think it is broader and bigger than that , '' said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott . `` I do n't want too much revisionist history . Everybody said that was the golden era [ in the early 90s ] . It was not always easy , though . We had some pretty tough disagreements . '' Lott points to the welfare debate between Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich and impeachment proceedings against the president in the late 90s as examples . For men like Glickman and Lott , the problems of Congress are deeper than whether they dine , drink and hang out with each other . The fact that California is only a five-hour flight from Washington means that members can easily get into town on a Monday and head out by Thursday night , leaving no time to socialize . `` When I first came to Washington , members had six roundtrip air tickets paid for , '' Lott said . `` Now it is unlimited , you can use whatever part of your budget on airfare . '' `` Congress is becoming a commuter Congress , '' said former Democratic Sen. Bryon Dorgan from North Dakota . Living in Washington also has become an electoral death trap . `` If members are going to be social with each other , it is going to have to be in Washington , '' said Nathan Gonzales , deputy editor of The Rothenberg Political Report . `` Members are spending the least amount of time in Washington as possible because they do n't want the baggage of being seen as 'too Washington . ' '' Funds are raised from the extremes , not in the middle , said Patrick Kennedy , a former House member from Rhode Island who did not seek re-election in 2010 . Until there are well-funded outside groups funding centrist candidates , he said , the polarization of the House and Senate will get worse . `` You [ a member of Congress ] follow the money and you follow the activists and of course those folks , whether you are a Democrat or a Republican , keep you out of the middle because the middle is the valley of death politically , '' Kennedy said . Cards anyone ? Lott believes President Barack Obama is a big part of the problem . `` He does n't really invite Democrats over there very often , let alone Republicans , '' he said . The truism that Obama is n't social enough with Congress was a common refrain during his first four years in office and that wo n't change , if history is any judge . When asked about it , the president generally laughs it off , references his kids and moves on . He did exactly that on January 15 when a reporter asked him whether he and the White House staff `` are too insular . '' `` Obviously , I can always do a better job , '' Obama said . `` And the nice thing is that now that my girls are getting older , they do n't want to spend that much time with me anyway , so I 'll be probably calling around , looking for somebody to play cards with me or something , because I 'm getting kind of lonely in this big house . '' Some Democrats , like Jim Manley , a former spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , say the idea that more would get done if Obama were more of a schmoozer is wrong . `` Anyone who thinks that by virtue of the president inviting Senator [ Mitch ] McConnell down to the White House to watch a movie is going to help improve things needs to get their head examined , '' Manley said . `` That is not the way it works . '' But if you ask Capitol Hill watchers like Gonzales , the distance between Obama and Congress is an issue . Democrats want a fuller embrace from their leader in the White House , while Republicans feel they are n't getting the level of respect they deserve . For that to happen , says Gonzales , there has to be something in it for both sides . `` What is the incentive for them [ the president and Republicans ] to foster these relationships , '' Gonzales said . `` Their time is valuable , just to be friends for the sake of being friends , I do n't know that they have time . It is good in theory , but until they see the fruits of that time investment . '' For Lott , the fruits of investing in collegiality are obvious -- lifelong friendships . Lott said he still considers Democrat and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle a good friend , and that he has spent weekends away with former Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee , both Republicans , and their wives . Lott 's most enduring relationship from Congress seems to be with Phil Gramm , a Democrat who switched parties in the House and then became a Republican senator from Florida . Lott and his wife , Patricia , are close with Gramm and his wife , Wendy Lee . Last year they traveled to South Africa and Botswana on a personal trip together and the foursome plans to go to Turkey in June . `` Friends are for life , '' Lott said about Gramm . `` Especially if they are real friends . ''
A common refrain is the notion that a more sociable Congress would be more effective . The 112th Congress enacted the fewest laws in four decades . Congress used to be more sociable , but there were issues then , too . Some observers believe Obama 's lack of social engagement is a problem .