Mann, ThomasOrnstein, Norman2018-02-262018-02-262012-06-25https://hdl.handle.net/11299/194109In It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism, Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein argue that there are two overriding problems that have led Congress – and the United States – to the brink of institutional collapse. The first is the serious mismatch between our political parties, which have become as vehemently adversarial as parliamentary parties, and a governing system that, unlike a parliamentary democracy, makes it extremely difficult for majorities to act. Second, while both parties participate in tribal warfare, both sides are not equally culpable. The political system faces what the authors call "asymmetric polarization," with the Republican Party implacably refusing to allow anything that might help the Democrats politically, no matter the cost.enCongressasymmetric polarizationpolitical partiesAudio