They Just Don't Get It: Some Thoughts on Why Americans Misunderstand Politics

Abstract: Once constitutional foundations were in place politics and government were seen as secondary activities, more or less frozen in place, in the United States. Rights were not contractual but fixed birthrights except insofar as racial differences shaped the American dialogue. The result is a dialogue that emphasizes future dangers future debts and the sacredness of the past but has difficulty addressing existent and persistent problems. Accordingly, whether Americans can therefore understand the value of the polity or of partisanship is therefore unclear.;