people can be fair and not be impartial. For example, I could serve on a jury involving OJ Simpson and I am reasonably certain that I could separate my opinion concerning OJ from some legal accusation.

In the same sense, I believe that the Congress is capable of rising to the occasion when the occasion warrants. They can also fall short--there are no guarantees. But failing to take the risk is an admission that representative democracy cannot work.

The fundamental assumption of compromise in a democracy is that reasonable people can disagree. If that assumption is no longer tenable, then neither is democracy.

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