Tom Mast, founder of Solve American Gridlock
Congress has sunk into near-100% voting by party. Why? What are the root causes of members of Congress voting against their conscience and/or their constituents’ wishes? #discord
Causes include: careerism, led by the need for support and money in the next election; fear of the power of congressional leaders disrupting careers; power and prestige of being on the winning team and a desire for my team to win the next election; having only two effective parties that reduces most topics to a bipolar/winner-take-all discussion; getting caught up in the game of crushing the opponent; the enormous volume and variety of federal commitments; single-member districts and safe seats; first-past-the-post voting methods.
What can we do? Create electoral systems fostering more than two parties. #congress
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