Mar ‘11
13
Is Divided Goverment the Answer to a Polarized America?
Hardly. As the Arab demand for democratic societies broke across North Africa into the Gulf, I found myself holding my breath. Just waiting for Republicans to pull on the rug on which the president of the U.S. unexpectedly found himself standing after the self-immolation of a Tunisian shopkeeper. Sure enough Tim Pawlenty went first and, then it was Libyans and Bob Gates who said no to a fly zone, John McCain. Even the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear reactor disaster in Japan set off a wave of right wing radio critique of Obama’s emergency preparedness. So divided government is polarization.
And yet, it looks more likely every day that Americans and independent voters especially, will choose to re-elect the president and give us a Republican House and Senate. You have to assume that the problems we face as a country can yield to bipartisan solutions, or that elections actually render mandates on the specifics of spending, taxes, and entitlements. Is Minnesota an example of what can happen? A liberal DFL Governor Dayton and a very conservative new Republican Legislature. So far there are some encouraging signs. It’s not Wisconsin, let’s say. It’s the constitutional requirement to balance the budget that makes divided government look good. Not good governance. Or good policy.
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