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  • Do-Nothing Congress Is Your Fault

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    Peter Orszag
    11 vues3 pages
    The most important problem facing our national government is political polarization, because it makes governing virtually impossible -- unless one party can dominate the House, Senate and White House. What’s driving the problem? One view, favored by political scientist Alan Abramowitz of Emory University, is that Americans are growing more polarized and their increasingly extreme differences are reflected in Congress.

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    Do-Nothing Congress is Your Fault

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    The most important problem facing our national government is political polarization, because it makes governing virtually impossible -- unless one party can dominate the House, Senate and White House. What’s driving the problem? One view, favored by political scientist Alan Abramowitz of Emory University, is that Americans are growing more polarized and their increasingly extreme differences are reflected in Congress.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    11 vues3 pages

    Do-Nothing Congress Is Your Fault

    Transféré par

    Peter Orszag
    The most important problem facing our national government is political polarization, because it makes governing virtually impossible -- unless one party can dominate the House, Senate and White House. What’s driving the problem? One view, favored by political scientist Alan Abramowitz of Emory University, is that Americans are growing more polarized and their increasingly extreme differences are reflected in Congress.

    Droits d'auteur :

    © All Rights Reserved
    Téléchargez comme PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    sur 3

    6/16/2015

    Do-Nothing Congress Is Your Fault - Bloomberg View

    C ON GR E S S

    DoNothingCongressIsYour
    Fault

    JUL15,20148:00AMEDT

    ByPeterR.Orszag

    aA

    Themostimportantproblemfacingournationalgovernmentispoliticalpolarization,becauseit
    makesgoverningvirtuallyimpossibleunlessonepartycandominatetheHouse,Senateand
    WhiteHouse.
    Whatsdrivingtheproblem?Oneview,favoredbypoliticalscientistAlanAbramowitzofEmory
    University,isthatAmericansaregrowingmorepolarizedandtheirincreasinglyextreme
    differencesarereflectedinCongress.Anotherview,associatedwithMorrisFiorinaofStanford
    University,isthatpolarizationinCongressstemsmorefromadisconnectbetweenpoliticiansand
    thegeneralpublic.(Bytheway,bothcampsrejecttheviewpropoundedoncabletelevision:that
    gerrymanderingisthemaincause.)
    IhavelongputmychipsdownontheAbramowitzside.AndtwonewanalysessuggestI'vemade
    agoodbet.
    Thefirst,fromthePewResearchCenter,showsthattheshareofDemocratswithveryunfavorable
    opinionsofRepublicans,andtheshareofRepublicanswithveryunfavorableopinionsof
    Democrats,hasrisentoabout40percent,fromabout16percent20yearsago.Andtoday,more
    thanaquarterofDemocratsandmorethanathirdofRepublicansbelievethattheotherpartyisa
    threattothenationswellbeing.
    YetthepublicisstillsignificantlymorecentristthanCongressis,thePewresearchshows.And
    thatraisesacorepuzzlethathaslongfavoredtheFiorinaview:Ifpoliticalpolarizationisdrivenby
    thepublic,howcanCongressbesomuchmorepolarizedthanthepeople?
    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-15/do-nothing-congress-is-your-fault

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    6/16/2015

    Do-Nothing Congress Is Your Fault - Bloomberg View

    Theanswermaylieinnewevidencethatvoterpreferenceshavebeenmisreadandinfactvary
    substantiallywithinevenmoderatecongressionaldistricts.Thesefindingsarefromastudyby
    politicalscientistsNolanMcCartyofPrincetonUniversity,JonathanRoddenofStanford,Boris
    ShoroftheUniversityofChicago,ChrisTausanovitchoftheUniversityofCaliforniaatLos
    AngelesandChrisWarshawoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.
    Theoldassumptionthatpopulationsinmoderatecongressionaldistrictstendtobecentristis
    crucialtoFiorina'ssuggestionthatpoliticiansaredisconnectedfromthepeople.Extremist
    membersofCongressfromsuchdistrictsare,afterall,theposterchildrenfortheviewthat
    politiciansexertthepolarizingforce.Similarly,whenanincumbentlosesageneralelectioninsuch
    adistrict,thenewrepresentative(fromtheotherparty)typicallyvotesinamannermuchdifferent
    thanthatofthepreviousrepresentative,whichisinterpretedasevidencethatpoliticiansgoto
    extremesontheirown.
    McCartyandcoauthorsbegintheiranalysisbyacknowledginghowdifferentlyDemocratsand
    Republicansfrommoderatedistrictsrepresenttheirconstituents.Theythenshow,however,that
    thosedistrictsarentreallysomoderate:Ifyoujudgebylookingateitherthemeanorthemedian
    voter,apopulationconsistingof100extremeRepublicans,100extremeDemocratsandoneperson
    inthemiddlewouldbecharacterizedasmoderate.Astheexampleshows,districtsthatare
    moderateonaverageoftendonotcontainlargedensitiesofmoderates.
    Furthermore,themoreinternallypolarizedadistrictis,thegreaterthedivergenceinvoting
    patternsbyelectedofficials,thepoliticalscientistsfound.Thatmaybe,theysuggest,becausethe
    electedofficialsareunsureabouttheprecisenumberofpeopleineachcampandalsothenumber
    whowillactuallyvote.If,forexample,aRepublicanmemberofCongressassumesthereare102
    extremeRepublicansratherthan100,andtheDemocratbelievesthereare102extremeDemocrats,
    thentheywouldrepresentthedistrictinmuchdifferentways.
    McCartyandteamconcludethatitisquiteplausiblethattheriseofpolarizationintheU.S.
    Congresshasalsobeendrivenbyincreasingwithindistrictpolarizationassociatedwith
    demographicandresidentialsortinginrecentdecades.Andthatleadsbacktomycoreconcern:
    Totheextentthatwethepeoplearedrivingpolarization,itismuchhardertofix.
    Moretimeandattentionneedstobespentfindingwaystocontinuegoverningeffectivelydespite
    polarization.(Ihaveproposedsomenotsurprisingly,thereactiontothoseideashasgenerally
    beenquitenegative.)Governmentbyinertiaisnoeffectivegovernmentatall.
    Tocontacttheauthoronthisstory:
    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-15/do-nothing-congress-is-your-fault

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    Do-Nothing Congress Is Your Fault - Bloomberg View

    PeterROrszagatporszag3@bloomberg.net
    Tocontacttheeditoronthisstory:
    MaryDuenwaldatmduenwald@bloomberg.net

    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-15/do-nothing-congress-is-your-fault

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