a similar stalemate over the so-called fiscal cliff again came down to the final hours and disaster was averted only by agreeing to take up the issue again later.
Meanwhile, significant issues, such as energy and a deteriorating infrastructure, go unaddressed. The 112th Congress of 2011-2012 was the least productive of any Congress since at least the 1940s, possibly ever, and the 113th Congress became the second least productive.
The view that something is amiss in American government is now widely shared. We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, say scholars Thomas E. Mann and Norman Ornstein, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional.
Americas culture continues to be vital and self-renewing, according to James Fallows in the Atlantic, but its saddled with a governing system that increasingly looks like a joke. He points to the near-impossibility of addressing problems that require truly public efforts to solve.
According to former defense secretary Robert Gates, politics have deteriorated so badly, I think the greatest national security threat to this country at this point is the two square miles that encompasses the Capitol building and the White House.
A Mix of Forces
The troubles facing American politics are varied and complex. Observers point to a wide range of developments that, if left unchecked, are likely to further weaken the effectiveness of government. These include:
The flood of corporate money into American political campaigns.
The growing influence of lobbyists and special-interest groups.
The increasing polarization and rancor of our political discourse.
Structural impediments, such as current redistricting laws that limit ballot choices and skew election results.
The permanent campaign that encourages lawmakers to focus on short-term gains instead of long-term solutions.
Political leaders acting in their own interests rather than serving the public good.
The disengagement of ordinary Americans who turn away from politics in disgust rather than getting involved and making their voices heard.
A Framework for Deliberation
How do we address these problems and get American politics back on track? This issue guide provides a brief overview of the issue and outlines three options for addressing it. Each option speaks for one set of priorities and views and, drawing ideas from across the political spectrum, makes its own case for a unique and consistent approach to the problem. Just as important, the drawbacks of each option are made clear.
Option 1 : Break the grip of special interests
The key to addressing gridlock and dysfunction in government is to rein in special interests and curb the influence of big money.
Option 2 : Increase responsibility
Our best hope of fixing American politics is to restore individual responsibility in communities and at every level of government.
Option 3 : Fix the mechanisms of government
The mechanisms of government are no longer responsive to the will of the people. We need major structural changes to make the system work as it was intended to.
In the following pages, these options are presented in greater detail. Each option includes a list of possible remedies and identifies some of the potential trade-offs. The actions are not offered as definitive solutions but rather as starting points for dialogue and deliberation.
The National Issues Forums Institute
This issue guide was prepared for the National Issues Forums Institute in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation. Issue guides in this series are used by civic and educational organizations interested in addressing public issues. These organizations use the books in locally initiated forums convened each year in hundreds of communities. For a description of the National Issues Forums, log onto the website: www.nifi.org.
Other Topics and Ordering Information
Recent topics in this series include obesity, the economy, mental illness, and energy. For more information, please visit www.nifi.org.
Writer: Scott London
Managing Editors: Ilse Tebbetts and Tony Wharton
Executive Editor: Brad Rourke
Design and production: Longs Graphic Design, Inc.
Copy Editor: Lisa Boone-Berry
Political Fix: How Should We Get American Politics Back on Track?
Copyright 2016, National Issues Forums Institute
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-943028-98-6
This publication may not be reproduced or copied without written permission of National Issues Forums Institute. For permission to reproduce or copy, please write to .
Founded in 1927, the Kettering Foundation of Dayton, Ohio (with an office in Washington, DC), is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute that studies the publics role in democracy. It provides issue guides and other research for the National Issues Forums. For information about the Kettering Foundation, please visit www.kettering.org or contact the foundation at 200 Commons Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459.
CONTENTS
OPTION ONE
The key to addressing gridlock and dysfunction in American politics is to rein in special interests and curb the influence of big money.
>>Break the Grip of Special Interests
TODAY, WASHINGTON, DC, is home to a growing special-interest and lobbying industry that employs as many as 100,000 people, making it the third largest sector in the American capital after government and tourism.
The health-care industry alone employs six lobbyists for every elected politician in Washington. On key issues like energy, defense, and education, they exert an influence that is difficult to measure but undeniable. While citizens also form lobbying groups to press their views on Congress, their impact is muted by their relatively meager financial resources.
Lobbyists advocate on behalf of organizations and constituencies, attempting to influence lawmakers and shape policies to suit their own interests. The Catholic Church has lobbyists, says American University professor James Thurber. The Boy Scouts have lobbyists. The AFL-CIO has lobbyists. Apple does. Everybody has a lobbyist.
Because lobbying firms represent special interests those of the few rather than those of the manytheir efforts tend to distort legislative priorities, sow contention and conflict, and compromise the governments responsiveness to the public good. Many Americans feel that, even after the devastation caused to the US economy in 2008 by financial speculators, Wall Streets influence in Washington is so great that its impossible to pass truly tough regulations.
This option says that the first step in fixing whats wrong with American politics is to limit the influence of special interests on government and restrict the use of their primary instrumentmoney.
Big Money
As the number of lobbyists has grown, so has the influence of big money. With the soaring cost of political campaigns, lawmakers have to spend much of their time fundraising. Studies show that a senator working 40 hours a week just on fundraising, would need to raise about $2,400 per hour to finance the cost of a reelection campaign.
