Our country was founded with the necessary help of a willingness to compromise. Throughout our history statesmen have compromised to the benefit of the nations good. Why have today’s politicians found compromise anathema to their duties as our representatives? Here are four reasons:
Gerrymandering
By manipulating the voting districts to be dominated by one party or the other, politicians have no need to seek compromise. In fact, a representative caught compromising on issues facing America as a whole will often fail in a reelection bid if it does not please the citizens of his pre programmed district.
Money
Each year more and more money is funneled into election campaigns by public or secret funds. No political action committee provides money on a promise to compromise. By definition these groups demand support for their particular issues or philosophy. Woe to the candidate who doesn’t toe the line with a view to their “sugar daddy.”
Resignation
Another practice that is becoming more and more common is the ploy of having an outgoing public servant resign just before their term expires.
This allows the party in power to appoint a replacement who can than run a campaign as an unelected incumbent. This provides the candidate with a distinct advantage in the next election and requires aspiring politicians to ingratiate themselves with party, perhaps at the expense of their constituents.
Search engines
We all know that search engines organize responses based on what the consumer has indicated as a preference. This works well for purchasing shoes or viewing cat videos but constrains the viewer from ever being confronted with opposing social or political views. Without seeing or hearing from alternative viewpoints, the average citizen is less apt to consider compromise or to demand it of their representative.
American democracy is on life support.
Dr. F. Scott Regan
Bowing Green
