There’s always an excuse for why nothing is ever fixed in politics
I think it’s the rotating villain theory. Someone is always designated to be the bad guy. That way everyone can say they support the people, if it weren’t for the villain.
That’s an interesting idea
Politics can definitely feel like nothing changes
How would we know whether this is actually what’s happening or not?
Look around!
No matter what changes in politics, there’s always a different villain
Yes, but is that the only reasonable explanation?
Or is it just a nice simple reason that feels valid?
Well why does nothing ever change then?
Politics is frustrating for sure
But that doesn’t mean things aren’t getting done
Even in the last few years, we’ve seen all sorts of progress being made
It’s naive to think politicians are always wanting to make change, but always being prevented
Progess in politics in the US is slow and messy
But voters still choose their representatives
Sometimes it’s the party leaders who are pulling the strings for fundraising purposes
Parties don’t have as much power or influence as many people think
And there’s no evidence that slow walking change is benefiting party leaders enough to be worth it.
Most fundraising money is drained by their vendors and advertisers, and party leaders who aren’t successful in election cycles tend to get replaced
The incentives are pretty low for failure
So why is it so hard to get anything fixed in this country?
That’s a complicated question unfortunately
It’s partly because citizens are very uninformed about civics, and very unengaged in the voting process
There is also a number of “voter strategy” theories that no longer work, but are slow to die
Like what?
For instance, there was a time when many folks believed that it was healthy to have a different party control Congress than controlled the Presidency
That sounds reasonable
In days past, it might have been.
Today things are more complex, and both parties are not working towards the same goals with different solutions.
When one party leans towards undemocratic power grabs, informed voters should vote them out until they re-align with democratic values
So you don’t think politicians are agreeing amongst themselves to slow-walk progress?
The rotating villain theory feels valid, but it ignores complexity and appeals to our cynicism
One Less Myth