A plethora of paradoxes.

• Author: Young, Michael L.

Paradoxes pervade American government and politics. The contradictions are so embedded in the system that we scarcely notice them or reflect upon the deeper truths they reveal. Here are 10 worth pondering:

1. Americans change their fundamental governmental structure rarely, enacting just 17 amendments to the Constitution since the Bill of Rights. Yet, probably no other government in history has changed so much so fast -- evolving from an isolated, homogeneous nation of about 3,000,000 to a sprawling, heterogeneous megalith 80 times its original population. Doing so without much formal change has enabled evolution to occur without many of the stresses that might have accompanied it, but also has produced the paradox of a constantly transformed country that changes slowly.

2. Rationality is enshrined in the American political structure, yet the underlying political process is dominated by "anti-rational" incrementalism. The enlightenment-inspired constitutional framework developed at Philadelphia in 1787 was predicated on the conviction that rationality and reason could prevail in government. It only needed the correct political architecture. The actual political process that evolved from that rational architecture, though, almost always eschews rationality in favor of incremental decision-making -- i.e., bounded. sequential, iterative decisions. This conflict between the norms of rationalism and the reality of incrementalism provides much of the tension and energy that animates the U.S. government,

3. Public confidence in representative institutions often is weak or vacillating, vet individual members of these institutions typically enjoy high support and approval. Congress certainly is the best example of this contradiction. It is perhaps the most reviled institution in the U.S. government, regularly drawing the wrath and venom of large majorities of citizens. Nevertheless, the dislike of the institution does not extend to its members. In fact, individual members often enjoy great personal popularity and support that is expressed dramatically in the over-90% incumbency reelection rates. This dissonance between Congress the institution and the members illuminates the deep ambivalence Americans often exhibit about their government and what it does.

4. Individualism arguably is the preeminent value in the country's political culture: indeed, the nation was founded in part on a deep commitment to individualism and its pursuit. Yet. interest groups...