"Wonkbook: The Republican Party’s problem, in two sentences" By Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas

[applegrove]

Wonkbook: The Republican Party’s problem, in two sentences

By Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas at the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/18/wonkbook-the-republican-partys-problem-in-two-sentences/

"SNIP..................................


Here's the Republican Party's problem, in two sentences: It would be a disaster for the party to shut down the government over Obamacare. But it's good for every individual Republican politician to support shutting down the government over Obamacare.

These smart-for-one, dumb-for-all problems have a name: Collective-action problems.

Politics is rife with collective-action problems. Political parties often benefit from passing a bill, or cutting a deal, even when it's in the interest of each individual politician to vote the other way. Keeping members in line during these moments is the key job of party leadership. Threats, flattery, fundraising money, and plum committee assignments are all deployed to keep members of Congress from undermining the group in order to help themselves.

The best way to understand the plight of the modern GOP is that the party leadership is no longer powerful enough to solve its collective-action problems.




.................................SNIP"

[Xipe Totec]

1. Dialectic Collectivism?

Who knew.