Please read the following two articles: "How Congress Stopped Working" by Derek Willis and Paul Kane
https://www.propublica.org/article/how-congress-stopped-working and "How a Divided Congress Can
Actually Get Along" by former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman https://time.com/5450946/congress-
democrats-republicanshouse-representatives-senate-congress-gridlock
Willis and Kane argue that the legislative branch has become a "junior partner to the executive [branch]"
and is no longer an "equally powerful branch of government." Lieberman argues that increased
bipartisanship would result in a more productive Congress. Note that the two articles were published
before and after the November 6, 2018 general election.
Please answer the following questions:
1) Willis and Kane discuss how Congress has stagnated due to partisanship and restrictive congressional
practices. Discuss two issues raised in the article regarding partisanship and/or Congress's restrictive
practices. Are any solutions offered that could get Congress working again? Explain.
2) Lieberman lays Congress's problems at the feet of partisanship. Discuss one problem Lieberman raises
about partisanship and then discuss how bipartisanship could solve that problem.
3) Lieberman proposes that "ordinary citizens have a more prominent role to play in fixing Washington."
Willis and Kane, through the words of former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, propose that Congress, like a
bombed building, has to be rebuilt from the ground up. Do you support either or both viewpoints? Explain
your opinion.