By David K. Shipler
Here is a
simple illustration of what’s wrong with Congress. The graph below, plotted
from an assessment of Senators’ voting records by The New York Times, shows the deep chasm in the moderate middle
where bipartisan compromise and true governing can take place. Both Democrats
and Republicans are clustered far outside that center, making negotiation on
major issues difficult. We have just seen a result of this in the stalemate
over immigration.
Chart by David K. Shipler. Data Source: New York Times
Voters of
various stripes will surely look at this and say, well, I’d like even more
Democrats to shift to that liberal left, or I’d be pleased to see more
Republicans at the far right of the graph. Fine. When we get to the ideal
world, count me in the first group. I’d be glad to see a more liberal, or
“progressive,” drift. But the country isn’t built that way, and it cannot be led
effectively from either end of the spectrum, or with the current barbell-shaped
political distribution. We need a traditional bell curve, where the line bulges
in the center and tapers off at both extremes.
Around that
central axis there would still be sharp disagreements between Republicans and
Democrats over the size and function of government, the regulation of business,
the environment, immigration policy, budget priorities for the military versus
social benefits, the makeup of the judiciary, and other matters. But more
members of Congress clustered near the center would indicate less dogmatism and
more flexibility; they might even be willing to listen seriously to the other
side’s arguments.
