This article, which blames the shutdown on structural issues
originating in the Constitution, is certainly one that raises a few questions:
- Does the foundational structure of the federal government need to be revisited? The author keeps discussing various examples of unicameral parliaments, all of which occur in homogenous societies, where the PM is elected by the parliament. Would such a system work in the US where there is a significantly more diverse population? What about the idea of having one branch clearly superior to the others? While it could settle tie-breakers, it also risks one branch growing too strong in the long run.
- Has the American presidency become too powerful for the system to work? My guess is that the system operates best when Congress is clearly superior to the presidency. However, the current perception (though not actual power structure) seems to feed an idea of parity between the executive and legislative branches. Does some sort of structural rebalancing need to occur or is the problem temporary?
- How dangerous are polarized political parties? Do they present a long-term threat, or will one party become superior to the other and dominate the government for a time? Will voters eventually decide to send broad majorities to Congress for a sustained period of time instead of only two years?
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On Friday, I went to the panel discussion about Political Dysfunction & Democracy, which was very timely given the current government shutdown. The discussion focused on the state of American politics, directly relating to this article. Professor Pei brought up the seemingly mystical attachment Americans have to the Constitution, a document that was written in a completely different time. The political system created by the Founders does little to curb party polarization and a modern country might call for an updated outlook on politics. One of the other panelists argued that political gridlock should not be seen as a downfall of democracy. Professor Nichols commented that gridlock in politics reflects a lack of consensus amongst the common people. He argued that gridlock is not bad because it accurately represents the views of the population.
The shutdown is definitely not a good thing, but it has sparked interesting discourse about American politics and democracy.
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