Source: www.theatlantic.com - Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Could 2015 be the year things work in American politics? Probably not in Washington, although it's a fun fantasy to indulge. And while it's unlikely the next 12 months will see an outbreak of comity and decline in partisan polarization, there are some reasons to look for action in Washington and especially in state capitals and the court system. If nothing else, it's the last chance before the 2016 presidential campaign begins in earnest—crowding out all other factors, privileging grandstanding over gritty details, and drawing top contenders away from D.C. and out into Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. So what's going to happen? Making predictions about political outcomes is a fool's errand, but there are a few topics to watch. There are optimists out there who think that divided government could be productive. With control of both houses of Congress newly acquired, Republicans will want to prove that they can govern, that they're not just the "Party of No," as Democrats have charged. President Obama, meanwhile, will want to work with them to help secure his legacy as his term winds down—2015 is likely his last chance to get anything accomplished—to say nothing of what his Democratic allies see as a maddening impulse to bipartisanship and surrender, even when it isn't necessary. That's well and good and makes sense as far as it goes. But what, precisely, is there for them to compromise on? Or will Republicans just pass a l
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Could 2015 be the year things work in American politics? Probably not in Washington, although it's a fun fantasy to indulge. And while it's unlikely the next 12 months will see an outbreak of comity and decline in partisan polarization, there are some reasons to look for action in Washington and especially in state capitals and the court system. If nothing else, it's the last chance before the 2016 presidential campaign begins in earnest—crowding out all other factors, privileging grandstanding over gritty details, and drawing top contenders away from D.C. and out into Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. So what's going to happen? Making predictions about political outcomes is a fool's errand, but there are a few topics to watch. There are optimists out there who think that divided government could be productive. With control of both houses of Congress newly acquired, Republicans will want to prove that they can govern, that they're not just the "Party of No," as Democrats have charged. President Obama, meanwhile, will want to work with them to help secure his legacy as his term winds down—2015 is likely his last chance to get anything accomplished—to say nothing of what his Democratic allies see as a maddening impulse to bipartisanship and surrender, even when it isn't necessary. That's well and good and makes sense as far as it goes. But what, precisely, is there for them to compromise on? Or will Republicans just pass a l
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