Reply #26: I think partisanship is undermining the U.S. government...

[mike_c]

...in ways not seen during the previous century. This is especially true of right-wing republican partisanship, but democrats have increasingly called for greater polarization as well (myself among them, in the interests of full disclosure). The congressional republicans and conservative members of the judiciary have used extreme partisanship to provide an umbrella shielding the executive branch from the tripartite checks and balances that the Constitution intended as safeguards to prevent concentration-- and abuse-- of power by too small an aristocracy or oligarchy. Extreme partisanship has allowed protection of a de facto neo-conservative oligarchy, particularly within the executive wing, but also in the congress.

I think the present incarnation of the multi-party electoral system, which is effectively a two party system, works best for America when the parties represent broad philosophies within which INDIVIDUAL legislators, executives, and judges act via a wide range of personal motives and ethics that fit the general party framework, but which do not constitute monolithic partisan voting blocks.

The current situation suggests to me that the partisan genie is now well and fully out of the bottle, and won't ever go back in. This means that our Constitutional government is fundamentally and irretrievably broken unless some rather major changes are made. The most important one that I can think of is breaking the two party monopoly on federal and state politics and political office.

I also think that the Democrats must lead the way on this. The Republicans nearly always favor self interest over altruism. We also need to recognize that the Democratic party as we know it would probably fracture first and deepest-- but I think that would ultimately be in America's best interest if it leads to coalition government that breaks the two party strangle hold. Our present system FOSTERS partisanship. We must replace it with government that fosters coalitions and mutual consensus across broader political spectrum's than is presently occurring.