The Anti-Politicians

I'm not one that reads a lot of conservative writing, but I try to read David Brooks when I can. He's wrong about a lot of stuff, but he's a thoughtful person, and sometimes he really nails it. He really nails the deep problems of our government right here:

Over the past generation we have seen the rise of a group of people who are against politics. These groups — best exemplified by the Tea Party but not exclusive to the right — want to elect people who have no political experience. They want “outsiders.” They delegitimize compromise and deal-making. They’re willing to trample the customs and rules that give legitimacy to legislative decision-making if it helps them gain power.

Ultimately, they don’t recognize other people. They suffer from a form of political narcissism, in which they don’t accept the legitimacy of other interests and opinions. They don’t recognize restraints. They want total victories for themselves and their doctrine.

This antipolitics tendency has had a wretched effect on our democracy. It has led to a series of overlapping downward spirals:

The antipolitics people elect legislators who have no political skills or experience. That incompetence leads to dysfunctional government, which leads to more disgust with government, which leads to a demand for even more outsiders.

The antipolitics people don’t accept that politics is a limited activity. They make soaring promises and raise ridiculous expectations. When those expectations are not met, voters grow cynical and, disgusted, turn even further in the direction of antipolitics.

The antipolitics people refuse compromise and so block the legislative process. The absence of accomplishment destroys public trust. The decline in trust makes deal-making harder.

Compromise is not a dirty word. You can disagree with decent people. Sometimes people see things a different way, and they aren't necessarily wrong. Politics is supposed to be about getting things done. Unfortunately, right now the political class in this country doesn't really agree. The activists in both parties don't always agree. Sometimes, the reward structures don't give credit for making deals. Our politics are suffering as a result.