The death of Sen. John McCain is not just a moment to commemorate the life of an extraordinary man; it is an occasion to reflect on his principles. McCain was a hero and patriot, but he also was a politician who understood the importance of compromise. A staunch Republican, he nonetheless was able to reach across the aisle when he thought the interests of the American people demanded it.
Few lawmakers today follow McCain’s example of compromise. Whatever one party proposes, the other opposes reflexively. When a legislator attempts to bridge the gap, his constituents often consider it a betrayal. No wonder so much of the public’s business is left undone. Government has become incapable of tackling critical issues. Instead, the parties ping-pong blame back and forth depending on which side is in power.
In my 88 years, I have never witnessed a problem as vexing as the continuing deterioration of America’s political dialogue. Although other threats during my lifetime have jeopardized our security—five hot wars and a cold one, the Great Depression and the Great Recession—Americans conquered them by working together rather than against one another.
Sadly, however, civility, compromise and respect for the political center are being replaced with vicious language, pernicious partisanship and crippling polarization. The problems recur at every level of our political system, as our once firm center has given way to a destructive hyperpartisanship.
Strict party-line voting mirrors the attitudes of constituents whose opinions are diverging rapidly. A Pew Research Center poll last year indicated that Republicans are moving further to the right and Democrats are moving further left.
The further the parties diverge, the more tribal society becomes. Gallup polling indicates that twice as many Americans as in the 1950s oppose marriage outside their political party: Almost two-thirds wouldn’t want their daughter or son to marry someone from the other party.
In addition to this dislike for each other, distrust of politicians and institutions also has grown. Rather than address the real problems of the day, Americans and our representatives spend time blaming one another for our ills—both real and perceived.
There are many causes behind this partisan divide which, if left unaddressed, threatens to undermine our democracy.
America’s constitutionally mandated redistricting process gradually turns congressional districts into safe seats, squeezing the center out of our politics along with the practice of compromise. Social media turns national debate into an angry brawl and divides Americans into howling rabbles that tote smartphones instead of pitchforks. Objective journalism is increasingly hard to come by as the line between commentator and reporter is too often blurred.
As a result, we have become an evenly divided red-state, blue-state nation more intent on waging political battles than finding ways to advance the common good. In this new age of red-meat national politics, everyone uses the misbehavior of others to justify their own.
There have always been partisan political fights in this country—that’s part of the democratic debate that has helped the American experiment work so well. But in the past leaders demonstrated common civility toward each other to reach the elusive center in governance. Doing so required each side to take positions that both could accept.
A good example is the federal income-tax reform of 1986. As President Reagan’s Treasury secretary, I worked closely with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to devise a win-win rather than a winner-take-all result. Fights and finger-pointing erupted from the extremes of each party. But we reached a middle ground by making the reform revenue-neutral, removing the process from the broader clash over national debt and deficits. Democrats could take credit among their constituents for eliminating tax loopholes and deductions, and Republicans could tout lower marginal tax rates. This approach produced the first revenue-neutral major tax reform in U.S. history, an accomplishment that helped stimulate an already growing economy.
In a statement publicized after his death, McCain stressed that Americans should take time to listen to one another, because brokering solutions requires measured collaboration, not torrents of outrage.
“We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates,” McCain wrote. “But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times.”
John McCain recognized that resistance to compromise stands in the way of America’s advancement. We all would do well to heed his advice.
Mr. Baker served as secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush.
