>>>>http://news.yahoo.com/john-boehner-told-harry-reid-f-yourself-outside-103332376.html
>>>>
>>>>Please understand that I am not blaming one side more than the other. It's just that this incident epitomizes the poisonous atmosphere between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. How are we supposed to get anything done when this is the level of civility? Supposedly we averted the fiscal cliff with the last minute votes this week. In fact all that happened was the problems were kicked down the road. There are at least three more negotiations coming up in the next few months. Maybe it's just me but I expect them to be acrimonious ;-(
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>>>I am continuously amazed that anyone thinks any (major) party, in any country really, is going to give a damn about anything besides staying in power. The primary purpose of government is to ensure its own survival and, indeed, expansion. It does that by doing whatever it takes to stay in power, including fostering the illusion that the general public are able to influence real significant change. Why does anyone even bother with any of this BS posturing, sound-bite garbage.
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>>Political cooperation has in fact declined here. Maybe it's more noticeable to those who actually live here. It used to be that the two parties would work together and compromise. The view was that even if you didn't get everything you wanted, compromise was the only way to pass legislation. That's out the window at the moment.
>
>I notice it has been a very long moment! :)

All I meant was it has gotten worse. When there are four Congressional leaders and one of them says that to another one, that's pretty bad. (Although funny in a weird way). A generation ago Republicans and Democrats would debate legislation all day -- there are genuine policy differences between the parties -- and then meet in someone's office for a drink afterward. That kind of collegiality doesn't seem to exist any more, at least not in the House.