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The United States Congress needs more cooperation.

For once the Democrats and Republicans have managed to avoid squabbling. The congressional leaders House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have reached an agreement that removes the possibility of a government shutdown this autumn. The deal involves congress agreeing to fund the government for six months from 30th September. This in turn will push any confrontation into the spring rather than having them in the middle of campaigns for President and Congress.

This however destroyed hopes of conservatives who may have hoped to use the opportunity to force through budget cuts because spending is to be kept at the same level but it will allow the campaign to focus on the broader picture rather than small details. For Boehner in particular the deal may be risky as angering the conservative right means that he will probably need democrats to pass the bill in the house, something that in turn will irritate conservatives and leave him open to attack.

This helps to illustrate why such cooperation has been seeming to become rarer and rarer over the last couple of decades; anyone who cooperates with the other side is immediately attacked by their own party.

Debatabase debate: This House believes that the governance of the United States should be split between the two major political parties http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/constitutional-governance/house-believes-governance-united-states-split-between-two-major-us-political-party

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/boehner-reid-reach-early-deal-to-avert-shutdown/2012/07/31/gJQAKVLENX_story.html?tid=ts_carousel

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-budget-deal-20120801,0,2332925.story

Submitted by Alastair Stevens on 1 August 2012.

This particular compromise makes a lot of sense; it basically pushes the question back until after the election so allowing the voters to have their say in November. This will therefore mean the people are given the choice of whether they want spending cuts or an ever ballooning national debt.

I am less sure about compromises in general, what it means is that politicians huddle together to give voters a half way house that no one voted for. Not the best of results!

Submitted by KateDebate on 2 August 2012.

Despite what you say most people, even in the United States, are politically in the center and would probably welcome compromises from congress and the president. It does not mean that it is an undemocratic policy if it has been compromised in order to get the support of both parties then surely it really has a much broader mandate?

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