The Spirit of Compromise - Why Governing Demands It and Campaigning Undermines It

Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-691-15391-9
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 256 Seiten, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 218 mm, Gewicht: 498 g

If politics is the art of the possible, then compromise is the artistry of democracy. Unless one partisan ideology holds sway over all branches of government, compromise is necessary to govern for the benefit of all citizens. A rejection of compromise biases politics in favor of the status quo, even when the rejection risks crisis. Why then is compromise so difficult in American politics today? In The Spirit of Compromise, eminent political thinkers Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson connect the rejection of compromise to the domination of campaigning over governing--the permanent campaign---in American democracy today. They show that campaigning for political office calls for a mindset that blocks compromise--standing tenaciously on principle to mobilize voters and mistrusting opponents in order to defeat them. Good government calls for an opposite cluster of attitudes and arguments--the compromising mindset--that inclines politicians to adjust their principles and to respect their opponents. It is a mindset that helps politicians appreciate and take advantage of opportunities for desirable compromise.Gutmann and Thompson explore the dynamics of these mindsets by comparing the historic compromises on tax reform under President Reagan in 1986 and health care reform under President Obama in 2010. Both compromises were difficult to deliver but only tax reform was bipartisan. Drawing lessons from these and other important compromises--and failures to compromise--in American politics, Gutmann and Thompson propose changes in our political institutions, processes, and mindsets that would encourage a better balance between campaigning and governing.Calling for greater cooperation in contemporary politics, The Spirit of Compromise will interest all who care about whether their government leaders can work together.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gutmann, Amy

Thompson, Dennis

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Staats- und Regierungsformen, Staatslehre
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction

Two Compromises 5

Characteristics of Compromise 10

Mindsets of Compromise 16

Chapter 1: Valuing Compromise

Costs of Not Compromising 30

Vulnerabilities of Compromise 35

Limits of Compromise 41

Limits of History 54

Chapter 2: Resisting Compromise

The Makeup of Mindsets 64

Principled Tenacity 69

Mutual Mistrust 85

Uncompromising Multiplied 91

Chapter 3: Seeking Compromise

Principled Prudence 101

Mutual Respect 109

Economizing on Disagreement 117

A Moment of Compromise 133

Compromising in an Uncompromising Time 140

Chapter 4: Campaigning v. Governing

Requisites of Campaigning 146

Two Conceptions of Democracy 152

Campaigns without End 160

Chapter 5: Governing with Campaigning

Space for Governing 168

Term Time 177

Time Is Money 180

Primary Pressures 184

More Participation? 186

Minding the Media 189

Strengthening Civic Education 199

Conclusion

The Uses of Mindsets 205

Doubts about Compromise 210

The Dilemma of Reform 214

The Support of Citizens 216

Notes 219

Acknowledgments 255

Index 257

Über Autor(innen)

Gutmann, Amy
Amy Gutmann is president of the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science. Dennis Thompson is the Alfred North Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University. Gutmann and Thompson are coauthors of "Why Deliberative Democracy?" (Princeton) and "Democracy and Disagreement."