Compromise
 

The singlemost important requirement for a democracy (of any sort) to be successful is a presumption that reasonable people can disagree. That is, because somebody disagrees does not mean he is stupid or malevolent. Sometimes two or more perspectives may have reasonable validity for a given point of contention.

The second most important characteristic is the ability to reach a reasonable compromise -- accepting that one may not get everything is not a defeat. It is an opportunity to oput-off for another day those thing which one cannot presently achieve in order to gain the good that one CAN achieve.

That is all.

I forget who said "there is nothing worse than a bill passed unanimously"

I've been wondering what happened to the art of compromise (particularly in politics). For example, I lean right, generally speaking, but the general tone of the right, in some ways, has been hijacked by Tea Party/Sarah Palin loudmouth types who are more interested in passing off insults and one-liners than in working in chorus with the "other side."

Wonder why that is? Has the internet just made it easier for these folks to find each other, and engendered a mob mentality? The "anonymity" of the internet seems to encourage some pretty outlandish comments at times. Wonder if that's trickling over in the form of some of the incivility and stubbornness we're seeing (from both sides)? I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and trying to temper my comments here in OD accordingly. I wouldn't be snarky with discussion "adversary" in-person, so why do it online?

Just thinking aloud, I guess. Carry on.

Tell that to the Minnesota politicians. The state gubberment's been shut down for almost 2 weeks now, so I can't take the motorcycle safety course. Curses.

It's been fascinating to watch the debt ceiling negotiations, but actually more like one upsmanship on a huge scale. Now, 2 Trillion is being called a "small deal" and Sen. McConnell has offered a proposal to cede legistlative power to the executive branch . . . at the same time stating that a default could be the "end of the GOP."

They are idiots, our Founding Fathers warned us about this, and its going to be the end of us. When party politics are above the good of the Republic we have a serious problem.

If they are unable to reach a reasonable compromise and it does shut down, than all the states need to invoke that little dissolution clause in the Constitution, everyone in office needs to be stripped of all power, and we need to hold elections to replace them.

To prevent problems the military would need to immediately be placed under the command of the various states in which there bases are located; and all foreign forces will be in confusion so orders should be given to cease all operations and wait for a new government to be formed.

I would also expect that the governors would mobilize the national guard in their states to take command of Federal buildings and to disarm any Federal military or police units which do not comply. Since at that point each state would revert back to a sovereign country.

What waste!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUci8dhvWYM&feature=related

Write the screenplay. You'll need a hot babe who is a karate hard-body, an old curmudgeon, and a manly-man with a dark past on a quest for redemption.

Does that mean no more Federal Tax:D?

The history of the budget deals is that the tax increases or debt ceiling increases happen NOW, but the proposed spending cuts never materialize.
I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

With the left and right bases able to flex their muscles in the primaries, compromise is a sure way to lose their support. Re-election trumps all.

To paraphrase a line about Jesus returning, if the founding fathers returned to life and saw all the things being done in their name, they'd never stop throwing up.

But imagine the "wenching" that would go on! And then the sexual harrassment suits that followed. ;)

I think the general tone is still the same. Politicians just feel the need to be always "on" since a minute doesn't go by without a microphone being stuck in their gob...and they, of course, feel the need to talk into it.
I interned in D.C. and the left still had drinks with the right after the day's work was done.

I'm not so sure. I wasn't paying as much attention then, but before the advent of the 24-hour news channels, there didn't seem to be the same level of vitriol. Well, same level in some cases, maybe, but not the same frequency, perhaps? Maybe I'm way off, though.