Most potential problems give warning before they appear in plain sight. The Navajo proverb, "There is nothing as eloquent as a rattlesnake's tail," speaks to that effect. Partisan conflict is one such cloaked dagger, yet unsurprisingly the severity of the conflict has remained unacknowledged, in part because it has become commonplace, but also because it seems sanctioned by the ideals of democracy.
The partisan predicament has been hard to pinpoint as a serious issue. The ongoing Democratic-Republican conflict, on the one hand, seems harmful and contrary to the strength of America's national unity. On the other, it seems like an animated and lively part of the democratic process. Bumper stickers reading, "Annoy a liberal. Work hard. Be happy," or "Friends don't let friends vote Republican," seem like harmless amusement, yet they serve to ingrain the idea of a perpetual feud within the country.
Entertainment media has done its share to add fuel to the fire. Political commentary programs such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report reprocess and spin current events as soon as they occur. The O'Reilly Factor and Real Time with Bill Maher feed off the anger many feel toward the "opposing team." The cult of comedy - while placating the populace with humor - masks a deeper cynicism about the current state of internal political affairs. Voters may find it hard to respect a system which provides innumerable characters and events to mock. As a result, people's expectations and opinions of their government are profoundly lowered.
Jabs at politics and politicians are not exclusive to entertainment sources. Even in an industry that claims neutrality as a founding principle - journalism - respected periodicals such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have definitive points of view. Notably, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman claimed Feb. 8, "The national G.O.P. [has] abdicated any responsibility for making things work." His assertion is an understandable yet reactionary one to Congressional Republicans' blockage of the health care reform bill in February. Krugman goes so far as to state, "The Republican leaders refuse to offer any specific proposals." Yet Republican Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin has offered an in-depth plan for the future of American politics which presents solutions for providing health and retirement security as well as lifting the debt burden and promoting American job creation and competitiveness.
President Obama in his Jan. 27 State of the Union Address was noticeably irritated that congressional Republicans did not share his policy goals. In the midst of such widespread partisanship among the citizenry, it should not be surprising that polarized attitudes extend to our legislators. The cost of the divide is bad governance, legislative stagnation and political abuses, all of which are harmful to national unity and image.
Examples of how our legislators refuse to work together are in no short supply. Often politicians see their victories as a referendum from the American people to further their party's agenda. Our current president obtained victory with 52.9 percent of the popular vote, considered a landslide victory; as a result, Democrats in Congress anticipated success in every area.
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