The dysfunction that lies at the very heart of American politics

[marmar]

The dysfunction that lies at the very heart of American politics
As the system grinds into catastrophic gridlock, disillusioned voters feel it has less and less to do with their lives

Michael A Cohen
The Observer, Sunday 7 August 2011


Nearly three years ago, on a night of great history, a slender 47-year-old black man who had just been elected to the nation's highest political office offered the American people an optimistic vision for the country's future. Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama spoke of national unity: "We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."

That night, Obama offered the American people a clear sense of his overriding priority as president – it wasn't just to fix the ailing US economy, provide healthcare for all or end the war in Iraq. But rather, after eight years of political turmoil and disunity, through the force of his personality and political temperament, Obama would, as Lincoln said, "bind up the nation's wounds".

Things have not quite worked out as Obama planned. Even with poll results suggesting that Americans prize compromise and are tired of overt partisanship, the level of division and acrimony in Washington has grown exponentially since Obama took office. The recent debt limit debate is the apogee of Washington's dysfunction: and indicative of a political system that is seemingly incapable of dealing with national challenges. Indeed, whatever one may think of Standard & Poor's recent downgrade of US debt, the ratings agency view that "the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policy-making and political institutions have weakened" seems almost self-evident.

How has America been reduced to one party holding a gun to the US economy and the other trading away its political principles to stop the trigger from being pulled? The problem is that the US today has one party intent on utilising government resources as a force for social good and another that rejects any significant role for the public sector. Compounding this collision of ideologies is a populace so indifferent to the workings of their own government that they are unable to choose which model they prefer. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/aug/07/michael-cohen-us-political-dysfunction

[FiveGoodMen]

1. "disillusioned voters feel it has less and less to do with their lives"

It has PLENTY to do with their lives...

But their lives, decisions, wishes, rights, and votes have less and less to do with the outcome.

[emilyg]

2. k

[polichick]

3. "low-information voters (the vast majority of Americans)" - HUGE problem! k&r

[adhd_what_huh]

4. bring back the Fairness Doctrine

[DLnyc]

5. very nice article

Clear and informative. Thus, not surprising that it wasn't written in the US.