AMERICAN POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT ARE STUCK IN POLARIZED DEADLOCK, WITH AN ECONOMY LEAVING MILLIONS BEHIND.

The source of America’s greatness is our principle-based political system, which has fostered general prosperity and our world leadership. First, the Declaration of Independence stated that government’s just purpose is to secure the people’s equal rights and liberty. Then the Constitution established our government to “secure the blessings of liberty” through union, justice, tranquility, defense, and the general welfare. This government of principles, with its checks and balances and its rule of law, fostered two centuries of political stability and expanding prosperity. And this stability and prosperity established our worldwide political, economic, and cultural leadership.

Political scientists know this leadership as national power: simply, the capacity and the will to realize the national interest. For any nation, power is a measure of national health and success: the extent to which we can shape our national future. And among its most important elements are effective government and broad prosperity—they form the link between our national principles and our national power.

But polarized politics and deadlock in government now threaten it all, a deadlock including a stark national divide on the proper role and control of government. This polarization is maintained by distortions in our electoral system that favor extremism (including how elections are funded), and by extremists’ resistance to bipartisan policy-making.

As a result, we’ve staggered between Democrats’ massive deficit spending to grow government (regardless of the growing debt), and Trump-MAGA’s massive cuts to abruptly shrink government while ruling by executive order. While the political battles rage, our biggest problems fester: inflation, stagnant wages, unchecked immigration, the rise of AI, the national debt, and foreign aggression. Without effective government or broad prosperity, our power—and the nation itself—is declining. Polarization will continue unless we clear the distortions that maintain it, and government deadlock will continue unless we create systems for bipartisan policy-making despite polarization.

The polarization that empowers extremists and that deadlocks the country runs counter to our national principles, and it is destroying our power. By returning to our principles, we can end the polarization and restore function to government, with the stability, prosperity, and power our principles allow.

Learn about the Underlying Problem and the Solution.