Welcome to political gridlock

It has been two weeks since the midterm elections. While Republicans continue to celebrate their victory and Democrats lick their wounds, Americans wonder what the next two years will be like. Starting in January, we will return to a divided government. What, exactly, will that mean for the big issues facing America like the economy or health care? Unfortunately, we do have an idea of what will happen over the next two years: absolutely nothing.

Probably the most important trait of any divided government is the ability to compromise. Neither the House Republicans nor the Senate Democrats can expect to bully the other to accept their agenda. The same goes for President Obama's agenda. It would seem simple enough: Both sides should come to the table for America's benefit. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Over the past few election cycles we have seen a move toward the extremes. Much has been discussed about the Tea Party movement in the Republican Party, but we are also seeing a similar backlash within the Democratic Party. Numerous blogs, talk shows and radio hosts are lamenting about President Obama's cop-outs. For many progressives, the Congress didn't do enough for health care (i.e. no public option) and the social agenda including gay rights and immigration went nowhere. While the Democrats were able to accomplish a lot, it was always stymied by the Republicans, who acted like a monolith in attempt to defeat any piece of Obama's agenda. We should expect not only for this to continue in the future, but to be even worse.

The first and probably most important relationship is between President Obama and soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner. These two individuals are the leaders of their parties and everyone else is secondary to them. That includes Sen. Harry Reid and Sarah Palin. If there will be any governing at all on the national level then these two will have to have a dialogue where they will compromise for the sake of the country. Compromises that should focus on improving the economy. This dialogue is not the problem. History has shown us that even the most extreme candidates, once they are in an important leadership position, often become more moderate and more understanding. The problem lies with the rest of the two parties.

The problem that the president faces is a demoralized and angry base. Liberal Democrats are distraught over their losses, but most importantly, they are scared. Scared that the major keystone accomplishes like health care reform will be overturned. They will fight any attempt to deconstruct any of those accomplishments. They will also fight anything that will remotely look like we are returning to the Bush years in terms of tax policy. That really means any extension of the current Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest of Americans. Already, that battle is shaping up where the president and presumed speaker of the House are trying to find a compromise, and Democrats are balking.

Just as the president is going to have trouble, so will John Boehner. While the Tea Party did not get as many of its people in the Senate as it would have liked, the House will be teeming with freshman congresspersons who are more in line with the Tea Partiers than the Washington establishment. Ideology will be very important and we might see something very extraordinary: the younger guard challenging the establishment. This scenario is unlikely, I'll admit, but it illustrates the strange situation we might be entering.

The past several election cycles have been fueled by people's anxiety and anger. First that was used against former President Bush, and now it is being used against President Obama. My greatest fear is that things will get worse before they get better. The gap right now between Republicans and Democrats is very large and it will only grow. I would like to give the president and congressman Boehner the benefit of the doubt and believe they will get something worked out. However, I'm not holding my breath.