The Substance, Drama and Consequence of Modern Politics

The bickering and partisanship in Washington today has both national and international implications. What is motivating this divisiveness and what is the likelihood of notable improvement in the future? Mark Halperin, best-selling author, senior editor at TIME and sought after political commentator, shared his insights on the consequences of the stalemates and divisiveness that seem to dominate politics today at 2012 FOX Fall Forum.

Some highlights include:

• The coarsening of political discourse is increasingly undermining the ability of the United States to respond to its national challenges: trade, education, tax reform, corporate welfare, infrastructure. This has been a festering problem for some time. The 24-hour political media “freak show” and the influence of extreme views now in the political mainstream have both had a corrosive effect 
• The origins of the current political climate can be traced back to the end of the Cold War. In short, the “President is no longer responsible for protecting us from nuclear annihilation”. Coupled with a more informal approach to the office, starting with President Clinton, this has tended to diminish respect for the incumbent and the prestige of the presidency
• The past 20 years has seen a transfer of power away from politicians to the private sector, a rise of social media and a near uninterrupted campaign cycle linked to the need to raise vast sums of money in order to get re-elected. The tragedy of September 11 helped to coalesce a consensus on foreign policy but strong differences remains on most areas of domestic policy. 
• Disagreements between the parties are “amplified by the political freak show”. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have all appealed to the respective parties to overcome partisan divisions and rancor, but all have failed largely to instill a more bi-partisan culture. 
• President Obama lacks the broad-based popularity that would help him to forge greater consensus. Congressional voting patterns and media coverage speak to the polarized nature of national politics. Arguably, Obama’s inability to pass the stimulus package on a bi-partisan basis set the tone for the animosity that often characterizes relations between Congressional Republicans and the President. 
• Significant tax raises and sequestration could be very damaging for the economy, and will require a bi-partisan "grand bargain" (principally on tax reform). A breakthrough would likely generate real momentum on stalled energy and immigration policy. If no grand bargain can be struck, the incoming President would be “crippled”
• There is a yearning among the electorate for more solidarity and consensus. The Republicans and Democrats have yet to heed this call.