1) It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better
After the federal government shut down in fall 2013, it finally seemed like things had gone too far. People were furious about the failure of Congress to keep the country running. Public workers didn’t get paid, national parks and war memorials were closed down, and the GOP—widely perceived to be the cause—took a beating in the polls. It should have spelled the end of partisan extremism for a long time.Then something strange happened. No one learned any lessons. Fast-forward to late 2015, and we’re trying to avert another shutdown. Although this one is unlikely to occur, the fact that it’s even being considered shows how few lessons have been learned.
Compromises are still rare. Ideological purity is still valued. And the alternative media (on both sides) is just as inflammatory as it ever was. The trouble with not learning the lessons of the past—even the recent past—is that things will never change. Republicans seem to be hoping that everything will magically get better when Obama leaves. Liberals seem to be looking forward to Hillary giving the GOP a beating. Both of those things are unlikely to sort out the dysfunction at the core of American politics. Things have become too extreme. Without some sort of major overhaul, each party will keep pushing away from the other, cheered on by the media and their angry base. Eventually, you’ll have a government that’s incapable of doing anything but reach a stalemate, even as voter approval dips lower than ever. One day, these issues will be sorted out. But it’ll take a lot of political will and a desire in the media to stop fanning the flames of hatred and resentment. Whether that happens anytime soon is another matter entirely.
After the federal government shut down in fall 2013, it finally seemed like things had gone too far. People were furious about the failure of Congress to keep the country running. Public workers didn’t get paid, national parks and war memorials were closed down, and the GOP—widely perceived to be the cause—took a beating in the polls. It should have spelled the end of partisan extremism for a long time.Then something strange happened. No one learned any lessons. Fast-forward to late 2015, and we’re trying to avert another shutdown. Although this one is unlikely to occur, the fact that it’s even being considered shows how few lessons have been learned.
Compromises are still rare. Ideological purity is still valued. And the alternative media (on both sides) is just as inflammatory as it ever was. The trouble with not learning the lessons of the past—even the recent past—is that things will never change. Republicans seem to be hoping that everything will magically get better when Obama leaves. Liberals seem to be looking forward to Hillary giving the GOP a beating. Both of those things are unlikely to sort out the dysfunction at the core of American politics. Things have become too extreme. Without some sort of major overhaul, each party will keep pushing away from the other, cheered on by the media and their angry base. Eventually, you’ll have a government that’s incapable of doing anything but reach a stalemate, even as voter approval dips lower than ever. One day, these issues will be sorted out. But it’ll take a lot of political will and a desire in the media to stop fanning the flames of hatred and resentment. Whether that happens anytime soon is another matter entirely.
No comments:
Post a Comment