Ottawa

That noise means it’s working

Responding to the lament of Peter Van Loan, Dan Gardner praises political gridlock.

You can find divided governments in Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. The Netherlands. New Zealand. In fact, you can find them in almost any peaceful, prosperous, well-governed country you care to name. Australia has had a directly elected Senate — with 12 Senators from each state — since 1900. And yet somehow, mysteriously, it continues to prosper…

The real difference is negotiation. In the “il Duce” model, it’s not necessary. If the Big Guy wants, he can push things through in whatever form he wishes. But in a divided government, the executive has no choice but to discuss, negotiate, and compromise. Some people don’t like that. They call it gridlock. I do like it. I call it democracy. It can be messy and maddening. But it can work, if we give it a try.

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