Sunday, December 08, 2013

Do we want deal makers or elected officials who dig in their heels? What should we want?

http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000002587335/think-back-lets-make-a-deal.html?ref=politics

Take a look at the video above.

55 comments:

Unknown said...

As of right now, the American public wants deal makers. An approval rating of 9.1 proves that. But for a while there has been less of a compromise between the two parties, and more of a divide between party ideologies. If a representative went against their party on a big issue, they are seen as a traitor. While we want a good amount of stubborn officials to provide the utmost scrutiny, some more deal makers would be nice. Perhaps some compromises on the budget or defense spending.

Anonymous said...

I believe that an elected official should stand for what he believes in, if that means siding with the other side, then thats what he/she should do. As an American I believe this is something that we should want allowing officials to stand behind their beliefs. For example if this wasnt something that could happen the civil rights act of 1964 never would have been passed and who knows where our country would stand today. So all in all i believe we should want deal makers people who do whats best for us citizens.

Unknown said...

Americans need the government to work together. We need deal makers within the parties to settle disputes that have been causing stress these last couple of years. It is evident that the parties have very separate ideas, but, as a nation in crisis it is critical that we come to some conclusions. It may seem as if these elected officials are "giving up" if they make a deal with other parties, but, at this point in time, we need to make some final decisions before our country heads into a downward spiral.

Anonymous said...

It depends on what the people want. If they have strong ideas and refuse to budge on them, let them vote in officials who dig in their heels. However, deal makers would provide deals that are at least a compromise of some sort between the two parties. I feel we do need deal makers because too many officials digging in their heels get nothing done. They fight and stall each other, and we need compromises so both parties are in control, not just one.

Anonymous said...

We should want what we each individually believe in. If an opposite party believes in something that we do too, we should chose what we believe in- regardless of what party it falls under. Foreign policy would have never became into effect if Republicans and Democrats did not work together in some form. Ultimately, America needs everybody to work together- regardless of what we each believe in, because our government depends a lot on the people of America. The people of America do not always agree with each other on everything, we have different parties and views but we work together on other things and to make ideas work. If someone believes in a large idea or project of another party, he/she should side with that idea, regardless of what party he or she believes in. That's what our government should do as well.

Nic Blommel said...

I think we should want deal makers. Sometimes it is better to have officials who digg in their heels, but most of the time it is better to have deal makers who are able to make sure all the parties are satisfied, if not happy with the decision. This leads to much better cooperation between officials as well.

Nic Blommel said...

I think we should want deal makers. Sometimes it is better to have officials who digg in their heels, but most of the time it is better to have deal makers who are able to make sure all the parties are satisfied, if not happy with the decision. This leads to much better cooperation between officials as well.

Unknown said...

At this point, citizens want deal makers because of the inability of the two parties to compromise. In theory it should be what the person believes in; however, more often than not, a person is looked down on if they did not side with their party on a particular issue. Having more deal makers would allow for more compromise to occur, which might help the recent predicament that the United States is currently facing. I believe we need more deal makers to help the parties compromise.

Unknown said...

Right now because we have been through a government shut down I would say we want deal makers. If both parties would work together and make deals that satisfies both sides our government would run a little better. If I were asked this question a year or two ago I probably would have said we need officials that dig in their heels because they are standing up for what they believe is right for the people. Like I said before right now we don't need suborn officials we just need some sort of compromise. Therefore, I think deal makers instead of officials who dig in their heels are what is best for our country right now.

Unknown said...

I feel like Americans should want deal makers right now. We need compromise in order to take all parties' opinions into consideration when it comes to making decisions. After dealing with the government shut down, it would be best to move forward with deal makers to help resolve issues.

Anonymous said...

In this time, America needs deal makers. Even though both parties may have their own opinions and beliefs they still should compromise on some ideas for the benefit of citizens. As or right now, this is what America needs. Since there has been many conflicts between the two parties lately not trying to compromise at all, it has affected many citizens. Also, history shows that deal makers have been successful such as the 1964 civils right legislation and the Truman Doctrine. Altogether, I believe America would best benefit from deal maker type of people.

Unknown said...

I believe that we want officials who are firm in their ways, but are also willing to make a deal. If both elected officials "dig their heels in" there will be a stalemate, and no progress will be made. Along with being to set in your ways, some officials are so back and forth about what they want that you almost wonder if he is actually knowledgeable or if the person cares about the topic at hand. that is why elected officials need to have a firm grasp on what they believe, but people need to show more deal making abilities in order to get the job done.

Anonymous said...

I think it is best to have both deal makers and elected officials who dig their heels in. It is good to have congressman who are able to compromise if it is for the good of the nation, but; on the other hand, they should still be able to take a firm stance in what they believe in on the issues that allow them to do so.

Unknown said...

I think that, in general, citizens at this point want deal makers, especially considering the recent lack of compromise and progress in Congress. I believe we should want elected officials that are willing to make deals, but not sacrifice all that they believe in to get there: ideally, every elected official would concede a bit in the name of compromise.

Anonymous said...

I believe that elected officials should not always "dig in their heels". Citizens want compromise and the only way to do that is to agree with the other side every now and then. If a politician is firm on their own idea and refuse to change their opinion or look at another opinion, then compromise can occur.

Anonymous said...

America needs deal makers. Everyone today wants compromise especially after the government shutdown. If the deal makers make both sides happy then everyone wins. All in all Americans need deal makers to dig in their heels.

Anonymous said...

Definitely deal makers. We've seen what happens when our elected officials dig their heels into what they want and refuse to move them to listen to the other side, even if it means possibly coming to a solution for the people they are supposed to serve. We should want deal makers too. We should want people running the government who are open to compromise, who are not easily persuaded to switch sides with the snap of two fingers, but also not so stubborn as to cause an entire government shutdown because nobody is willing to compromise. Now I'm not talking about things such as equal marriage rights or desegregation or anything that may have to do with equal rights for all people because, really, that solution should be obvious. There should not still be debates going on about these types of subjects. What I'm referring to is a plan for the economy and for the environment, things that have multiple solutions where the outcomes of which are not certain. We should want and have level-headed, willing to compromise deal makers who listen to all sides of a situation and who ALL come together to make the best solutions, even though each side may not get what they want.

Unknown said...

I believe that the American people want deal makers. As we can see from our past, elected officials who dig in their heels don't produce results. Instead they shut down the government. Deals will get you from point A to point B, while digging in your heels leaves you at a standstill. The American people should want our country to advance, which is what deal makers will help us do. But the people also want to have a hand in our government which is where elected officials come in. Elected officials should become deal makers, and should focus on bettering America.

Unknown said...

America needs deal makers to help make things that will help this country. We need the government to work together. Deal makers will help both parties and our nation. The parties fight over almost every idea they have, so having deal makers will help solve that problem and then both parties will have a say and do things together.

Unknown said...

In the event of the recent government shutdown, I believe that the citizens of the United States want to see deal makers. It has become clear that the two major political parties are unable to make final decisions on controversial issues. Deal makers would allow compromises to come more easily, without as much resentment from either side. It is important that both Democratic and Republican opinions/views are taken into consideration when it comes to decision making. The American People are already well aware of the outcomes that ensue when elected officials dig in their heels. They may be digging them in too much, resulting in more harm than good. Therefore, I believe that deal makers would currently be the best course of action. We need compromise.

Unknown said...

I think right now, we need elected officials who are deal makers, as proved by the approval rating. But if want officials who have strong ideas and stand firm to them, we should vote for officials who dig in their heels. Sometimes, these officials who dig in their heels get nothing done because they are constantly fighting one another. What the American citizens should want is an official who will stand for the american public and keep our country in mind while making deals.

Anonymous said...

I believe we need elected officials that stand for what they believe is best for the people they represent. That is most important because people elected them thinking that they would stand by there ideas and not conform to what others say. if an elected official were to not do whats best for his/hers constituents, then they would not be doing there job

Nick Berger said...

We need dealmakers who are willing to compromise.One can clearly seen why we have been more stubborn in issues. Parties are often divided and, when an elected official goes against his party he is seen as a traitor. However, to complete the problems that the US faces we need dealmakers to make a fast response and to prevent the situation from becoming worse.

Unknown said...

It depends what is wanted from the people. The people should be able to vote in officials who dig in their heels if they refuse to compromise on their ideas they feel strongly about. I feel we need deal makers as many officials continue to dig in their heels which results in little to nothing actually being done. The fights they have only stall each other and compromises are needed a single party is not in control.

Unknown said...

I stand for deal makers because, people need to learn how to help negotiate with each other to settle disputes instead of not taking action on anything or standing their ground. Without negotiation, our problems will never be solved.

Unknown said...

I think that having an elected official who is firm in their beliefs and what they think is right is a good thing. If an official is standing up and stating their personal opinion about a controversial topic, they shouldn't change their beliefs based on anything else besides themselves, aka political standards or debates.

Unknown said...

Now America wants deal makers. With different parties controling the House and the Senate not much is getting done. This means that politicians should be able to negociate with the other party in order to get things done. This is not happening very much and would help get America moving again.

Unknown said...

I think that America wants and needs deal makers. The problems of this country are complex, and many of them require government attention. However, with this current government, partisanship has been taken to the extreme, and even once non-partisan issues cannot pass. The government cannot even pass a budget, one of its fundamental responsibilities. People elect a government to lead, not simply to be focused on the next election.

Anonymous said...

America needs cooperation among the entire government. So what we need is deal makers. It is impossible to please all of the people, so we have to pick and choose. We want to make negotiations in order to settle disputes that have caused tension among the entire country. Nothing will get accomplished if both parties do not budge on their stance on the issue. With deal makers, we could accomplish a lot more and fix the problems that need attention.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Deal makers would be more effective than officials who insist on one policy. While it is admirable to be firm in your beliefs, at this point, when we don't compromise, we just experience setbacks that cause even more issues.

Anonymous said...

I believe that our officials need to be a little bit of both. They should stand for what they believe in but when it comes to an argument between sides, they should fight for what they want but in the end they may have to compromise. If someone is so set in there ways that they won't compromise, there will never be ground gained; however, if someone is too compromising, ther other side may take advantage of them. What American needs right now in its goverenment are officals who firmly belive what they think is right, but are not afraid nor too stubborn to compromise at times.

Unknown said...

I believe that we need to have a happy medium of both dealmaker and heel digger. In an ideal world, we would all want to be heel diggers--we all want what is best for our own situations. But, that is both unrealistic and irrational. We need to have dealmakers, because without them we would make not progress. Progress obviously depends on moving forward, and without compromise there can be no movement.

Unknown said...

As of right know I would assume that we want deal makers because people want everyone to work together and be satisfied. We can see that heel diggers do not always make the best decisions (i.e government shutdown). The world and government is quickly moving and we need to be able to keep up and make a concise deal asap.

Unknown said...

I think we need and want deal makers. This country has gone through a lot of turmoil because of the strong opinions government officials have and their inability to fluctuate from them. I think in order for us to be successful and grow as a country we need to compromise. Compromise has led this country to successes in the past and it has made us much stronger than many other countries. We need leaders that are able to compromise to resolve issues instead of arguing intensely for one side and never getting anything fixed because they won't sway from their original intentions.

Unknown said...

What Americans need more is a government that will work together. They need them to come together on issues and come up with a solution that will help citizens. I believe that we need deal makers. People who can settle disputes and compromise to help this country and the people in it to succeed.

Anonymous said...

Elected officials have to dig their heels on some topics and be deal makers in other topics. For example, if a bill on abortion is being debated, both parties will probably stick to their side for various reasons. However, during the recent shutdown, America needed deal makers in order for our government to get back up and running. Ultimately, the topic being debated will decide whether or not elected officials should dig their heels or be deal makers.

Austin L said...

As a whole, we Americans want a government that functions and that can work together, by working out their differences. As individuals, I feel that we want our congressmen and other elected officials to stand up and dig their heels in the ground that is why we voted for them, right?

Anonymous said...

I believe that for our government to run properly, we need both politicians that make deals and others that dig in their heels. Parties as a whole tend to dig in their heels over very important topics, so the only way that a compromise can form is for the deal makers of those parties to come together and discuss what would be best for both parties to be happy. An example of to much heel digging would be the recent government shutdown, I feel there was a chance this could have been avoided if deal makers would have met earlier to discuss the compromises both sides had to make in order to avoid the shutdown.

Unknown said...

We want a few elected officials who dig their heels in. If we have too many of them nothing is passed. Now, we need more deal makers to help comprise and settle disputes. We should all want more deal makers and less elected officials who dig their heels in.

Anonymous said...

After having the government shutdown, America wants a Congress that can agree and move on and make a unified decision. America should want its representatives to represent the voters' and individuals' ideas. If a representative is elected because of their beliefs, that is what they should stand for regardless of the idea or official is right or left. The people elect these officials with the understanding that they will fight for them and their beliefs. This could mean siding with the opposing party or standing firmly with their own. A representative cannot always be one way or the other. Dependent on the issue, the elected official should choose a side based on the beliefs which are allowed to be ideological but are not required to be.

Anne Mark said...

George Washington warned against political parties, stating in his farewell speech, "Let me... warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party." The extremely partisan nature of American politics has resulted in many elected officials that are more willing to dig in their heels than to make deals. Many politicians are focused upon avoiding the label of "traitor"-to the point of refusing any concessions to an other party.
From my point of view, this impasse greatly damages both America's populace, as well as its governing system. Lack of new or updated policy has the potential to injure American's in need of it, and to weaken confidence in the existing system and politicians.
While it may be important for politicians to remain stout in their opinions, the state of the union demands that elected officials make deals that result in much needed changes.

Unknown said...

I understand that there are many times when a politician needs to dig in their heels. I think, however, that the most useful and most successful strategy for our country is to have elected officials that are not afraid to compromise and make deals. Like many have said in this blog, many of the biggest causes for American success throughout history is its ability to compromise. In order to solve problems and fix things within a respectable timeframe, we must be able to understand that it is impossible for every person to get what they want when dealing with an issue. The sooner we realize that a compromise must be made and that no one person's solution will please everyone, the better off we will be as a nation. Right now, especially, we need officials that make deals, compromise, work for the people rather than the party, and fix the problems of the nation without creating new ones.

Unknown said...

We want deal makers because at this time elected officials who dig their heals in are not gaining any ground or making political progress because of an unwillingness to compromise. we need deal makers because they will compromise all of the views of the American people and make gains for each political party

PatrickW said...

Of course we do! We want politicians that stick to their guns and values!

Anonymous said...

The people who want decicsions made efficiently or faster would choice for deal makers. The majority of people would opt this way. Elected officials who dig in their heels effectively make decicisons but the decicison is definetely more time absorbant and possibly less efficient. As a whole deal makers may not make the best decicisons as people who strongly stand against their opposers. We should probably want the better decicsion makers.

Anonymous said...

It all depends on the needs of the people. Lets just say that some people have a very strong opinion and won't budge on their belief, then they should want someone who will dig their heels in. Deal makers are going to want to make a deal between two parties and that is what we should want in general as the people to come to a deal that both parties will gain and lose something from.

Anonymous said...

It all depends on the needs of the people. Lets just say that some people have a very strong opinion and won't budge on their belief, then they should want someone who will dig their heels in. Deal makers are going to want to make a deal between two parties and that is what we should want in general as the people to come to a deal that both parties will gain and lose something from.

Anonymous said...

This is to Dani Schneider. Do you think we need only deal makers or just more of them? Could it be a bad thing to have too many deal makers in power and not enough stubborn people who will fight hard for their opinion and never give in to what the other side wants? I do agree with you that we need people in office that are willing to compromise for the good of America, I am just curious to what extent you believe this as well. Do you genuinely think the country is heading in a downward spiral right now, or do you just think it might be headed that way? Finally, do you agree that some officials who don't stand true to their opinions are weaker than those who do?

Anonymous said...

Personally, I believe that we should want deal makers. Citizens want deal makers too because we need the two parties to compromise. Technically, we all want the people to stay firm in their beliefs; however, most of the time people can be looked down upon if they don't take the side of their party on certain issues. Both parties should work together to make deals that both sides of the government can agree on. Deal makers are more important than officials who dig their heels in right now.

Unknown said...

Paul: what do you think would be good steps to "get things done?"

Anonymous said...

@Patrick W: I agree that the American people value politicians that "stick to their guns and values". Many voter decisions are aided by identifying with a candidate's similar value, and we therefore hope to see that value represented during their time in office. However, I think there is something to be said for compromise, especially in a government that was recently plagued by a shutdown in response to "heal diggers". Being opinionated and passionate are admirable traits for a politician to possess, but are they efficient traits for our government to possess? Not always. Compromise ensures that both sides are benefactors.

Unknown said...

I disagree with what Brandon Glandt says in this post. He mentions that he wants elected officials to stand for what they believe in, but then says we want deal makers. I agree with the first statement, but not the second. While compromise is necessary,it is important to stick to the views that they share with the constituents that voted them in.

Unknown said...

As a country, we should elect officials that will do whatever it takes to help the country. Party or committee should not matter, what should matter is the will of the American people. We need officials that will work together to solve public policy issues and will not argue based on differences in beliefs. Officials should make deals with each other, but should not make these deals unless the public wishes them to.

Unknown said...

As a country, we should elect officials that will do whatever it takes to help the country. Party or committee should not matter, what should matter is the will of the American people. We need officials that will work together to solve public policy issues and will not argue based on differences in beliefs. Officials should make deals with each other, but should not make these deals unless the public wishes them to.