Americans want gridlock, not compromise

What do we want? Some say they want to end political gridlock and get important stuff done. A few want gridlock and not doing things. There's so much hot air and acrid smoke, it hard to tell what's what.

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey with

Gen. Eduardo Villas Boas, commander of the Amazon Regional Command

Manaus, Brazil - March 28, 2012

Occasionally a feeble ray of light penetrates the dense midnight smoke-fog. On March 13, 2012, NPR aired a social science analysis (audio link below) that says Americans tend to want compromise if its the other side that's compromising. Americans like consistency and dislike 'flip-floppers'. Some of this comes from our culture and how we see ourselves. Many of us apparently dislike inconsistency, in politics at least.


Well, if most Americans more or less see things that way then there is no reason for any politician to compromise on anything. Compromise by politicians is therefore just craven and unprincipled. Given that, most Americans may want compromise in theory, but they are not going to get it in practice. Just blow that off as 'bad' science if the reality the study appears to show is unpalatable. That's what some conservatives to do with climate science they don't like, i.e., if you don't like the facts, just deny them. Its simple and psychologically rewarding.

 Parachute drop at Fort Bragg, N.C. - March 22, 2012

The parachute looks like a menacing face?

From a non-ideological, pragmatic, common sense point of view, the results of the study seem generally reasonable. Why? Because the political status quo effectively manipulates and polarizes many of us into one of two warring political armies, i.e., liberals and conservatives. That injects emotion into politics. Emotion in politics diverts attention from the fact that both parties failed.