Like most Americans, I wish we had more political leaders who made decisions beyond the narrow boundaries of their tribe, party or what James Madison called “faction.” Americans may even be surprised to learn that the Constitution never mentions political parties and was largely designed to prevent partisanship from overwhelming the union. Sadly, our politics have evolved to give partisans more power.
Conventional wisdom holds that the presidency of George Bush left scars that distort his party still. This wisdom is gilded by a shockingly partisan new book, “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks,” by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein. Armed with anecdotes but not much more, they blame Republicans for the gridlock.
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