# Why is there so much gridlock in US politics today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101 "2011-10-09T19:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/61 "2011-10-12T13:59:37Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > In theory, because when it’s your turn in the big seat the opposition will remember exactly what kind of utter pricks you were for the last 4 years and will similarly gridlock any and everything you try to pass. > Admittedly, that’s still a conservative win - if government grinds to a halt, things are pretty well conserved, aren’t they ? > > Besides, until the Democrat party sends out a search party for their collective balls it won’t happen anyway. So, yeah, in practice, it’s good strategy. It’s also quite the cunt move. So answer my question from the scenerio in post #57. Would you support Democrats gridlocking Congress if the Republicans controlled the government and was taking the country down a path that you thought was unacceptable? Suppose the Republicans decided to hunt out at all cost the 11 million illegal immigrants and deport all of them to Chad and make the US/Mexico border into a no-man’s land that the Koreans think is harsh with a shoot on site policy (after all, a foreign national illegally coming across the border is an invasion or terrorist). A Constitutional amendment is being written to rewrite the 14th to disallow jus soli (anchor babies). Would a Democrat-led gridlock be acceptable to you in that case? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/62 "2011-10-12T14:09:13Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So answer my question from the scenerio in post #57. Would you support Democrats gridlocking Congress if the Republicans controlled the government and was taking the country down a path that you thought was unacceptable? That’s entirely different. The Republicans don’t care about the welfare of the country. They aren’t trying to stop Obama & the Democrats from doing anything they disapprove of; they are trying to keep Obama & the Democrats from succeeding at _anything whatsoever_ regardless of the damage done to the country, and regardless of whether or not the Republicans thought it was a good idea before their enemies did. They are _actively trying_ to harm the country in order to make Obama and government look bad. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/63 "2011-10-12T15:03:36Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Are you seriously contending that’s not an accusation of hypocrisy? As I said previsouly, if I wanted to call you hypocrites, I would. I say you’re doing the same thing you claim to hate, which is only half of hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/64 "2011-10-12T16:02:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That’s entirely different. The Republicans don’t care about the welfare of the country. They aren’t trying to stop Obama & the Democrats from doing anything they disapprove of; they are trying to keep Obama & the Democrats from succeeding at _anything whatsoever_ regardless of the damage done to the country, and regardless of whether or not the Republicans thought it was a good idea before their enemies did. They are _actively trying_ to harm the country in order to make Obama and government look bad. So it can’t be that the Republicans honestly disagree with President’s agenda? It can’t be that the Republicans honestly feel that it is a choice between short-term harm (e.g. stopping the Keynesian policies and the increased deficit) and long-term harm (higher deficit/debt and an unsustainable health-care program)? So every agenda the Democrats come up with will help the country? I again go to my original point in this thread. The reason there is gridlock in this country is because of the attitude like Der Trihs shows, i.e. When the other guy creates gridlock it is evil because what my side does is the best policy. When my guy creates gridlock it is good because it prevents the other side’s evil policies. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/65 "2011-10-12T16:22:31Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So it can’t be that the Republicans honestly disagree with President’s agenda? I doubt they honestly even **know** any more. ---
**Author:** ![Da\_Mikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Da\_Mikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Da_Mikster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/66 "2011-10-12T17:05:37Z")
Why gridlock? Because if you repeat a lie often and convincingly enough, a lot of folks, who usually react emotionally, rather than taking the time to think rationally, believe it… > **[The Seven Biggest Economic Lies](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-seven-biggest-economi_b_1005980)** > > Demagogues through history have known that big lies, repeated often enough, start being believed unless they're rebutted. These seven economic whoppers are just plain wrong. Here's why. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/67 "2011-10-13T21:31:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > There’s a scene in the 1968 comedy [_Wild in the Streets_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_in_the_Streets) where Congress is about to vote on a constitutional amendment (shut up, it’s a comedy) to lower the qualifying age for public office to 14(!), and the young rebels facilitate passage by dumping gallon-jugs of LSD into D.C.'s main drinking-water reservoir (we see all the Congresscritters rolling in the aisles laughing . . .). > > Might actually help at times like this. :o Oh, ermm, just so there’s no misunderstanding, I meant the psychopharmacological lubrication of the legislative process, **that’s** what might help. (Lowering the office-age to 14, that’s just silly . . .) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101/68 "2011-10-13T22:13:54Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So answer my question from the scenerio in post #57. Would you support Democrats gridlocking Congress if the Republicans controlled the government and was taking the country down a path that you thought was unacceptable? Please. I have principles. I don’t support politicians. It only encourages them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-so-much-gridlock-in-us-politics-today/599101.md?page=3)