A recent poll shows that republicans and democrats are more partisan than ever. That is not surprising. The poll also shows that voters from both parties would like to see more compromises made to reduce gridlock. That is the paradox of government. The government can only be managed, especially in the US system of checks and balances, by compromising on ideologically driven positions. Election campaigns, however, are ideologically driven. Each party appeals to the ideology of its base, and it is critical of the ideological positions of its opponents. Gridlock has increased in the US because of the rise in "perpetual campaigning". We no longer elect politicians to government who are interested in managing the government. They continue campaigning even after they are elected. After all, their experience and expertise is in campaigning.
The article refers to a book that addresses this paradox by two political theorists. They concede that republicans are more prone to perpetual campaigning than democrats, but they argue that progress cannot be made by attacking the republicans. They propose some changes that might be helpful, but they will be difficult to achieve in an era in which one party would like nothing less than a one party political system.
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