THE HUFFINGTON POST: REASONS FOR THE POLAR, PARTISAN CONGRESS

In Bob Burnett’s article on The Future of Bipartisanship, he analyzes the reasons for the decline of cooperation and common ground between Democrats and Republicans–why only 3 Republicans voted for the Stimulus.  He cites Bill Ury’s  Getting to Yes when he opines that Republicans tend to be hard negotiators and Democrats tend to be soft negotiators.  He argues that there are three reasons for this polarity during a time when it is necessary to unite the country against a common economic problem. 

1.  Structural Explanation:  Most of the GOP Senators and Representatives who voted against Obama’s stimulus package come from red states or congressional districts.  Those who voted with the President were from states he carried during the 2008 Election. 

2.  Historical Explanation:  Polarization increased during the Bush Administration. Bush and Cheney were hard negotiators and their style worked in Bush’s first term where he got everything he wanted: massive tax cuts, education reform, curtailment of civil liberties, and war with Iraq. Many Congressional Republicans continue to bask in the “glow” of the Bush era and believe the negotiating style that worked then will work now.

3.  Psychological Explanation:  Conservatives and liberals have different worldviews–“Strict Parent” (rule-based) vs. “Nurturant Parent” (process-based) attitudes, respectively. 

Question to the Blogosphere: Can Obama unite this divided Congress?  What steps should be taken to build common ground among people so clearly divided over the past eight years?