re: #171 KGxvi

Here’s the thing… if we want to have a functioning democracy, particularly with the way our system is designed, we need politicians who can agree to work on things where there are agreements and not be complete assholes when there are disagreements. Some times that will mean engaging in the dreaded compromise. Some times it will mean getting a little less than everything you wanted, but it is still better than getting nothing (or worse, seeing things shift in the other direction because of the aforementioned assholishness).

Is that possible with the current incarnation of the GOP? Probably not, because they’ve bought into being assholes as a winning strategy. But at some point, it’s going to be necessary.

i agree 100%
i was speaking strictly in the context of the election
and when i said ‘no longer useful’ i meant, when they stop being cooperative after

in more general terms again, you are right

the R’s have turned politics, the nature of which was compromise to find a common way forward, into something else.

not even a conflict of interests, but a tribal, degenerative, brutal struggle for office power in which they, with righteous indignation believe that all dems, and only dems, do in fact behave despicably all the time.

i have no idea how to get back to politics being a clash of value systems, each of which is in some way valid, where it’s a competition between basically well-intentioned people who see the world differently.

Franklin thought the only hope for democracy was if people respected each other enough to compromise. it requires two sets of honest brokers.