Is it possible that America’s natural suspicion of state-power is in a self-destructive phase, radicalized at a moment in which it needs effective government most? Columnist Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung worries that whatever the many benefits of that suspicion, “this federation in which people expect strong leadership and a willingness to embrace pragmatic solutions cannot exist without trust.”
For the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger writes in part:
In fact, it’s the ideal envisioned by the American Constitution: Political power is not concentrated but distributed – and is therefore limited. The distrust of political authority, of government and thus of the state, is a bedrock and enduring principle of the United States. This finds reflection in the separation and interdependence of powers. Rather than seeking the efficient exercise of power, power is circumscribed and restricted.
The political opposition is treated as an enemy; not one to govern with, but one who must be conquered. Many Democrats exhibit cultural snobbery in their judgment of Republicans, who in turn have many in their ranks who have succeeded with hard-hitting slogans against “Washington” and who only want one thing: To drive Obama from the White House. These aren’t favorable conditions for bipartisan cooperation.
Distrust of the state is an American founding principle. But this federation in which people expect strong leadership and a willingness to embrace pragmatic solutions cannot exist without trust. Two years of paralysis – this would further erode confidence in government. To ignore central issues like government debt – that would be more than negligent. It would be a cynical gamble that puts the country’s future at stake.
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