UPDATE: Cicilline's Common Ground Caucus Convenes

UPDATE: Looks like the Dems are responding a bit better to the bi-partisan push than Republicans. Congressman Cicilline's office provided the following list of the 11 Congressmen who attended Common Ground's inaugural event: Democrats Cicilline, Jason Altmire, Kathy Hochul, Hank Johnson, William Keating, John Larson, David Loebsack, and Peter Welch and Republicans Nan Hayworth, Renee Elmers, and Kevin Yoder.

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Congressman David Cicilline's Common Ground Caucus - an attempt to restore a touch of the bi-partisan feeling that prevailed in Congress decades ago - had its first gathering last night at Top of the Hill, which describes itself as a "World War II era lounge, located in the heart of Capitol Hill."

Cicilline, a Democrat, launched the caucus with freshman Republican Congresswoman Nan Hayworth of New York (fun fact: she defeated Democratic Congressman John Hall, who founded the band Orleans and wrote "Still the One," among other tunes). "In the Common Ground Caucus," they wrote, in a letter to colleagues in the run-up to last night's gathering, "members will not necessarily agree on the issues, but we will join together to cultivate relationships off the floor and out of the committee room that will help us work together and work towards a more bipartisan institution, built upon mutual respect."

Interesting twist: caucus rules require any new member to bring along a member of the opposing party.

Breaking through Washington's intense partisanship is no small task. But no reports of a "you lie!" outburst over the bar tab, yet. We'll keep watching.