Factionalism and the New Normal

Lots of people are writing and talking about the increasing sense that our government in the US doesn't work any more.  And I agree- the Republican strategy of all out war against their enemies through constant filibuster use, stonewalling of even uncontroversial presidential appointments, and refusal to compromise even when being offered most of what they say they want, is pretty dispiriting.

But the reason for this shift in our politics, from a congenial congress with lots of people crossing party lines to "put country before party" to an absolutist ethos with strict party discipline, has a pretty clear cause.

Until the 1980s, the parties in America weren't very ideological.  Many Southern Democrats were conservatives, and many northeastern Republicans were liberals.  But the "southern strategy" of Republicans succeeded eventually in bringing southern conservatives firmly into the Republican camp, followed by the purge of liberal Republicans from the party and into the arms of Democrats.  In recent years it seems that even moderate Republicans are being purged as the party lurches further rightward, maintaining tremendous discipline under the Bush II and Obama presidencies- no Republican will cross party lines any more except in very rare instances.

The purge of moderates makes me wonder what will happen to Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, and the few other moderate Republicans left.  I'm certainly hoping they see the light and become Democrats, or get defeated.  I guess conservatives would point to Joe Lieberman as the mirror of that, although I would contend that Lieberman moved right, rather than being left behind by his party.

Anyway, so now Republicans are fighting dirty in congress, using every weapon they have to obstruct.  Democrats are likely to try the same thing now when they are out of power (though I worry they don't have the stones to do it.  I've also predicted before that as soon as Democrats start using the filibuster the way Republicans do, the GOP will change the rules to stop it- which is what Democrats should have done this year).

So our government doesn't really work very well any more.  And it's not going to get better soon, because ideologically coherent parties have less reason to cross over party lines and compromise, which is what the American polity has been based on for many years.

What do we need then?  A new normal.  Rule changes in the congress. The filibuster has to end.  Senate rules have to be totally reformed to decrease the possibility of obstruction.  Or maybe the Press has to change the way it reports, going away from "he said she said" analysis and toward calling out politicians when they're being crazy.  Maybe an historic defeat for Republicans* will make them pull back on their strategy.  But something has to change so we can settle into a new ethos in Washington. 

* I'm not predicting an historic defeat in 2012 of course.  One scenario that I think is possible, though, is a Republican sweep in 2012 followed by actual enactment of their crazy, tea-party inspired policies.  I think those policies would be disastrous, leading to an economic meltdown much worse than we have now, and that might lead to their big defeat subsequently.  I'm certainly not rooting for that- that's a lot of pain for a big victory and it's not worth it- but I think it's possible.

NOTE: This is a rehash of stuff I've been reading in the blogs of Matt Yglesias, Ezra Klein, and Kevin Drum for a while.  I just wanted to get it down in my own words.