US-style gridlock at home

EDITORIAL

Published: 4 Nov 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

In Thailand as in the US the opposition, whether it be Pheu Thai or the Democrats, is in most cases guaranteed to block any policies and legislation proposed by the party in power regardless of merit.

For the next few days the eyes of the world will be riveted on the presidential election in the United States. While the cast of characters and issues is totally different, there are some surprising similarities in the political landscape of the two countries, particularly in the rabid partisanship practised by the major political parties.

Political gridlock is in part due to genuine ideological differences, but it can often be attributed to contrariness and a desire to sabotage the other side at all costs, regardless of the merit of their initiatives. This political trait was displayed last week by Republican hopeful Mitt Romney while on the campaign trail in Wisconsin when he warned that if Barack Obama was re-elected there would likely be another federal budgetary crisis similar to the one last year in which Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to pay its bills. Mr Romney warned that the country might face another recession because his own party would force another crisis over the debt ceiling. On the other hand, it is understood that if Mr Romney is elected the debt ceiling will be raised without a hitch as it has been many times in the past under both Democratic and Republican presidents. The implied threat of shutting down the government shows clearly that partisanship often trumps the public good in Washington.

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elvis
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Discussion 7 : 04 Nov 2012 at 15.597
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@Onlyasking D6,

The fact that the average PTP voter is generally poor, doesn't mean that the PTP has any idea to improve their lot or wants to improve their lives. If they wanted to improve the life of farmers, they would, instead of launching a rice pledging scheme that will eventually ruin Thailand's position as top rice exporter and therefore ruin the farmers in the process, cut out the wealthy middlemen, and teach farmers how to set up rice cooperations and sell their rice, or any other agricultural product, directly to international buyers. Unfortunately that will never happen as PTP fat cats and the middle men happen to play golf tog
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onlyasking
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Discussion 6 : 04 Nov 2012 at 13.346
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D5 How do you justify resolving a party when the PM have 70% support?
D4 There's a difference between PTP and Dems. The Dems represent the traditional elite and to a certain extend the middle class in BKK. PTP represent the poor and to a certain extend the business elite. The Dems want to keep the status quo because that pleases the traditional elite. PTP's voter power comes from the poor thus policies to increase the minimum wage and the rice pledging scheme.
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a_chris80
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Discussion 5 : 04 Nov 2012 at 10.245
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The Pheu Thai Party should be dissolved.
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elvis
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Discussion 4 : 04 Nov 2012 at 10.154
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Thai political parties lack ideologies nor do they have vision. No political party in this country has a long term vision of what Thai society should look like say, twenty years from now. They have no political platform founded on an ideology. Although the GOP and the Democrats do not differ a lot, they do differ in terms of the role the government should have in the US.
If anybody can point out the ideological differences between the PTP and the Democrats, I would be grateful.
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carlg1
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Discussion 3 : 04 Nov 2012 at 09.413
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"The implied threat of shutting down the government shows clearly that partisanship often trumps the public good in Washington."

But in the end, the debt ceiling was raised. The Republicans and the Dems struck a deal - the Dems would have to slice US$2.2 trillion from the federal budget and Republicans agreed to not block the ceiling. Partisanship or not, the end result was probably a good thing for the US - and perhaps if the Republicans had not intervene the budget cut would have never happened.

The Americans - for better or for worse - were taught from birth to defend their Constitution - so it's almost unthinkable that the entirety
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pjt
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Discussion 2 : 04 Nov 2012 at 09.342
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But is not the difference that the divide in America is genuinely ideological, whereas in Thailand it is naked pursuit of power. Policy differentiation is almost absent. The division of power between Congress, the Senate and the President (and his administration) was created on purpose to ensure no one set of ideas predominated. Concensus builders are needed to make the system work to the benefit of the people. What is missing is that recent Presidents, after Bill Clinton, have failed to lead the concensus building and instead accentuated the divides
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mrsdonesh
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Discussion 1 : 04 Nov 2012 at 09.341
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The red shirts just cannot get it through their heads. You cannot hold a city to ransom and then be surprised when it retaliates. I'm sorry for those that died, on all sides (and the reds always forget that), but the truth is, it was self inflicted. Compensation has been paid, its done. Yingluck is not reaching out, its smoke and mirrors for one man only, and ever thing is political.
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US-style gridlock at home | Bangkok Post: opinion