Let Congress Fight to Compromise

Visible legislative conflict is not a bug to be engineered away but the mechanism that reveals preferences, tests commitment, and builds the public legitimacy that makes compromise stick. Reforms that preempt or hide fights (empowering leaders to shut down amendments or electing moderates who avoid taking positions) often substitute the appearance of governability for the hard work that produces real, durable deals. — This flips common reform advice and implies that many reform proposals (speedy deadlines, stronger leader prerogatives, electing 'moderates') may reduce Congress's capacity to produce legitimate, stable legislation.