The United States is alone among advanced democracies in how difficult it is to get anything done. Legislation can be blocked by the House, the Senate, or the president, all of whom face different electorates, on different cycles. It can be overturned by the Supreme Court, where nine robed judges are protected by lifetime appointment. Constitutional amendments are uniquely difficult, and can be blocked by the states. To attain a governing majority across this many conflicting institutions requires parties to win multiple elections, over multiple election cycles, by appealing to multiple kinds of electorates.
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