In the United States, our political system is famously gridlocked. A large number of policy proposals fail to get approval in Congress. On top of that, geographic red and blue zones also prevent any real progress in reforming policies or legislating new laws.
However, these three factors aren’t mutually exclusive. They often operate in tandem to hinder progress on reform. Let’s explore more about why America’s geography has shaped its politics this way and how we can begin to break it down with the right policies and reforms.
How America’s geography has shaped its politics
In the United States, our political system is famously gridlocked. A large number of policy proposals fail to get approval in Congress. On top of that, geographic red and blue zones also prevent any real progress in reforming policies or legislating new laws.
However, these three factors aren’t mutually exclusive. They often operate in tandem to hinder progress on reform. Let’s explore more about why America’s geography has shaped its politics this way and how we can begin to break it down with the right policies and reforms.
A gridlocked Congress
America’s geography has shaped its politics by creating a gridlocked Congress. It’s no surprise that the United States has the highest level of gridlock among the developed democracies — it has the most complex federal system of all. But the U.S. House of Representatives is particularly notorious for its inability to pass legislation.
It’s the only branch of government in the Western world that’s shut down the majority of the time. It’s also difficult to see real progress in reforming policies or legislating new laws. The U.S. Senate is also very difficult to pass legislation in. Of course, each state has different requirements for running for federal office, but even matters like how many votes a senator needs to pass a bill are defined by state laws.
The small number of votes from a handful of states often makes it impossible for a senator from the majority party to get a majority vote on any given bill. The fact that 54 percent of Americans live in states that don’t have a single senator in their chamber also means that a new law will often be difficult to pass unless it’s a very small piece of a much larger package.
Geographical divides are the main cause of gridlock in the U.S. legislature
The reason gridlock has occurred in Congress is because of the geographic division in the United States. The country has long been divided between large coastal and small interior states. The large coastal states produce the most senators, while the small interior states are responsible for the majority of House seats.
This means that the vast majority of the congressional representatives come from two small states: California and New York. This geographic divide is the main cause of gridlock in the U.S. legislature. In a purely proportional system, a decision on the size of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have been possible.
However, because of the geographic divides in the Senate, it was impossible to reach a majority vote. Even if the majority of Americans support such a policy change, there’s no way to make it happen in Washington.
There’s just not much room for bipartisan agreement in the U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate is the only place in the federal system where the majority party can override a presidential veto. In the past, some have argued that this means that the Senate has a greater role in the legislative process, but it’s hampered the ability of the senators from smaller states to pass legislation.
The Senate’s structure is a unicameral system. This means that senators are elected directly, rather than being selected by state legislators who are elected on a proportional basis. At first glance, this would seem to give smaller states more power. However, senators are picked by state legislatures.
They’re therefore beholden to the interests of their home state, which makes it extremely difficult for them to compromise with the senators from other states. If a bill comes up for a vote in the Senate that doesn’t have the support of a majority of senators from the minority party, the majority party can usually block it, even if it doesn’t represent the majority view of their constituents.
The U.S. House also very difficult to pass legislation in
Hyperpartisan media coverage and political campaigns that are increasingly focused on the extremes — especially the Senate — have harmed the image of the U.S. House. However, it’s still very difficult to pass legislation in the lower chamber.
The main reason for this is the structure of the House. It’s a single-member district, rather than a proportional representation system like the Senate. In some cases, this can mean that a single district elects two representatives. Although this can help reduce the influence of large cities, it also means that there’s no guarantee that either representative will have a majority of voters in their district that supports their policy positions.