4) Compromise Is A Thing Of The Past
The US government runs on compromise. Unless one party carries the White House and both chambers (which happens rarely), basic rules require both parties to thrash out some sort of deal. Things have changed now. Today, many in Washington consider it a point of honor to never compromise.This is most noticeable in the Tea Party. Thanks to them and the growing antigovernment paranoia we mentioned above, the most motivated GOP voters now support candidates who won’t give Obama an inch on any issue. Polls have shown that 75 percent of Republicans want candidates to be more confrontational with the president.
Two-thirds want their representatives to “stand up” to Obama even if it paralyzes Washington. The trouble is, Republican candidates have no incentive to ignore their voter base. Those who compromise are in danger of being shunted out in favor of more ideologically pure candidates. So you wind up with idiocy like senators voting to repeal Obamacare even though everyone knows Obama will veto the motion. Representatives have also threatened another shutdown over abortion laws.If this was just a wing of the GOP, it would be one thing. But a lack of compromise is now infecting both parties. Democrats have become intransigent on major issues, too. If things carry on this way, expect far more shutdowns in the coming years.
The US government runs on compromise. Unless one party carries the White House and both chambers (which happens rarely), basic rules require both parties to thrash out some sort of deal. Things have changed now. Today, many in Washington consider it a point of honor to never compromise.This is most noticeable in the Tea Party. Thanks to them and the growing antigovernment paranoia we mentioned above, the most motivated GOP voters now support candidates who won’t give Obama an inch on any issue. Polls have shown that 75 percent of Republicans want candidates to be more confrontational with the president.
Two-thirds want their representatives to “stand up” to Obama even if it paralyzes Washington. The trouble is, Republican candidates have no incentive to ignore their voter base. Those who compromise are in danger of being shunted out in favor of more ideologically pure candidates. So you wind up with idiocy like senators voting to repeal Obamacare even though everyone knows Obama will veto the motion. Representatives have also threatened another shutdown over abortion laws.If this was just a wing of the GOP, it would be one thing. But a lack of compromise is now infecting both parties. Democrats have become intransigent on major issues, too. If things carry on this way, expect far more shutdowns in the coming years.
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