Political dysfunction, the new normal

This year’s post-election period has highlighted the depths of the problems ahead. The president has marched ahead on immigration reform in the face of warnings from Republicans that it could poison future relations (which could hardly be more poisonous, to start). Republicans are determined to find ways to retaliate on that and other agenda issues.

Meanwhile, the efforts to pass a spending bill have highlighted divisions in both parties’ coalitions, as Republican congressional leaders and the president grapple with defections and disagreement on their right and left flanks.

That foreshadows more chaos and less productivity ahead, leaving Americans to draw the conclusions that the Pew survey highlights, which is that dysfunction (and with it deepening pessimism about the system) is the new normal in American politics.