POL203Y1 Lecture : lecture notes
Document Summary
Compromise is inherent in the american political culture. Americans want to see practical pursuits, not ideological ones. It is impossible to get anything done without compromise, which is necessary for meeting challenges of the debate. Inaction is not a realistic option on a lot of issues. E. g. the american political system is like a car, which has 3 pedals, three steering wheels, 3 breaks, thus, if one member doesn"t agree and pushes the break the car will stop moving. Furthermore, the car cannot move without support from all 3 parties. Compromise in the same way is built into the system. It is built into the 3 branches of govt. (the executive, the legislature and the judiciary) that maintain a system of checks and balances. Furthermore, compromise is also inherent within each branch and within each party as well. The reason the framers wanted a system like that was to mitigate passion from politics.