There is a buzzword in Washington, D.C. today: gridlock. It has come about as a result of increasing political polarization in the American public, the news media and Congress itself.

To politically engaged college students, gridlock can be particularly frustrating. If liberals and conservatives alike can have civil, constructive disagreements in class, shouldn’t middle-aged elected politicians be mature enough to compromise?

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released on July 12, 51 percent of voters believe the present standstill is occurring because the Grand Old Party is blocking President Barack Obama, whereas only 35 percent think Obama is more to blame for the state of gridlock.

This polling indicates that Democrats have been more than effective at scapegoating Republicans for the current situation. They’ve been able to construct a clever and politically savvy narrative in which Republicans are, in fact, to blame for the lack of legislation being passed.

While this is true to a point, it discounts the inability of Obama and the Democratic leadership in the U.S. Senate to put forward solutions that appeal not only to the left and to moderate Republicans in the Senate, but also to the conservative House of Representatives.

The fact that the public is fed up with gridlock and that the GOP is taking the majority of the heat for it suggests an important choice for Republicans.

Either House Republicans must move closer to center and be more willing to look at issues in a bipartisan manner and compromise with Obama and the Senate, or they must construct a far better narrative as to who is really to blame for the present state of gridlock.

Republicans are quite simply not doing an adequate job of explaining to the American public where they stand in the policy debate and why.

If a majority of House Republicans continue to vote the same way without constructing an effective narrative explaining why, then the GOP will be doomed for the upcoming midterm elections and possibly for the 2016 presidential election.

There’s certainly a fringe element to the GOP that has been well represented in the House since the 2010 midterm elections, but to suggest that there is no comparable fringe element on the left is nonsense.

Republicans need to counter by reminding Americans what happened when there were no checks on Obama’s political capital and he was able to pass essentially anything he wanted during his first two years as president, in addition to the mixed result of these initiatives.

The Constitution instituted the separation of powers to protect minority interest groups from the tyranny of the majority. Gridlock has been a frustrating by-product of our government ever since.

Congress passing no legislation is not preferable to effective solutions to real problems. With that being said, however, passing more laws, regulations and expanding government does not necessarily make our country a better place.

Take the issue of the Affordable Care Act. While polling indicates that Obamacare is anything but popular, House Republicans only look stubborn in their routine, symbolic votes to repeal the law — something they will likely never be able to accomplish during Obama’s presidency.

Instead of continually, and pointlessly, voting to repeal Obamacare, Republicans should instead focus their energy on crafting a fresh piece of health care legislation aimed at driving costs down and encouraging small businesses to hire full-time employees. This would at least provide Republicans with a health care plan to endorse prior to the upcoming midterm elections as a viable alternative to Obamacare.

Not every piece of legislation deserves to be passed, and while many pundits are advocating for Republicans to drift closer to the center, they also — and perhaps more importantly — need to construct a more effective narrative.

Otherwise, Democrats will continue to win the political blame game that has thus far unfortunately been a defining feature of Obama’s second term. For the GOP, future electoral success will not be possible if they remain the party of “no.”

Ethan Demers is a senior political science and history major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

Published on July 25, 2013 at 5:20 pm