How did things get this bad? Polarization, dysfunction and the collapse of everything

[marmar]

from Salon:


How did things get this bad? Polarization, dysfunction and the collapse of everything
We've had gridlock and partisan media before. So why do we seem so divided now, with such corroded institutions?

MARC J. DUNKELMAN

Excerpted from "The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community"

The United States hasn’t reached the level of dysfunction that paralyzes Jamaica. But judging from the exasperation Americans now feel about Washington’s ongoing failure to tackle the nation’s big challenges—the tendency of Congress to let issues come to the breaking point before piecing together a temporary solution—it seems we may be headed in that direction. Faith in the capacity of government to lead has fallen to a record low. And it’s not clear to anyone—save those who pray for the return of what they think would be “real” leadership—what might be done to turn things around.

Explanations for the gridlock abound. Many on the left blame recalcitrance within the conservative movement—Republicans, they claim, cave in too frequently to the irresponsible demands of Tea Party activists. Others cite the nefarious influence of the filibuster, which allows a minority of senators to block substantive bills supported by the broad majority. Some argue that gerrymandering—the manipulation of legislative districts to guarantee the outcome of an election—has polarized the House of Representatives.

But while Democrats fault Republicans and conservatives blame progressives, most of the country is simply fed up. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that 72 percent of Americans believe that the country is off on the wrong track. While a majority of Americans believed that “the government is really run for the benefit of all people” in 1987, the figure has since plummeted. During the government shutdown of 2013, 70 percent of Americans disapproved of the way the Republican Congress was handling budget negotiations and 61 percent disapproved of their Democratic counterparts.10 So the nation’s despair isn’t directed at any single party or institution; it extends across the aisle.

If Americans from across the political spectrum can agree on anything, then, it’s that Washington can’t get out of its own way. Something has changed to preclude the collegiality of earlier eras. As PBS interviewer Charlie Rose often points out in conversations with the nation’s leading thinkers, Washington now seems fundamentally incapable of arriving at optimal solutions. Too often, Congress is compelled simply to kick the can down the road. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2014/08/03/how_did_things_get_this_bad_polarization_dysfunction_and_the_collapse_of_everything/

[IDemo]

1. "Something has changed to preclude the collegiality of earlier eras."

I'm trying, but I can't for the life of me think of what that is.

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[tularetom]

2. And yet nobody blames the corruptive influence of money injected into policy

It's true that the big spenders mostly favor republican lawmakers, but Democrats aren't exempt from their largesse. Witness the silence coming even from "progressive" congress members when asked about events in Gaza.

Whoever is getting the payoffs, one thing is clear. The citizens are getting screwed. Hopefully they're beginning to catch on.

[KoKo]

3. Sounds Interesting...Bookmarking for later read.. Thanks. n/t

[randome]

4. I try to be as impartial as possible and I still come to the conclusion...

... that Republicans are to blame for the gridlock. Democrats, by and large, want to get things done, not twiddle their thumbs and whine all day.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. I'd like to see somebody dig far deeper in these polls

And ask a bunch of political and economic questions to gauge how much each respondent actually understands about politics and economics. Then plot political and economic ignorance versus how much they blame dems versus repubs.

[jeff47]

6. "Earlier eras" were not that congenial.

The southern realignment and its after effects created a window where the two parties worked together.

Before that, they really didn't like each other. Senator Sumner was beaten by Representative Brooks on the floor of the Senate. There's also a lengthy series of duels between Congresspeople.

Here's a list of Congresspeople who were killed or wounded while in office. Before the modern era, a decent number were wounded or killed by opposing politicians or opposing political movements.

Even FDR wanted to stack the SCOTUS when Republicans wouldn't give him everything he wanted - he tried to expand the court to 13 justices, so that he could appoint 4 new justices.

The parties being relatively close in the 50's to early 60s was the aberration. That lingered until the 1990s, when we got back to the way things were before: The parties at each other's throats.