Or the incentive structure could be about riding unicorns.

Politics is only dysfunctional because of politicians if you ignore the fact that politicians are the way they are because of their constituents. When the voters punish compromise and seeking common ground, people who support those ideas can't get involved in politics because they can't win.

The incentive structure is wrong. We declare we want politicians who will stand up for what's right and make the tough decisions, then punish them if they do. It's like training your dog by hitting it every time it obeys. The results are predictable.

As an example, look at the collapsing of consensus within the GOP — they've been dedicated to rejecting compromise for so long, now they can't even compromise with themselves. Since Gingrich, the only way to win a Republican primary is to call Democrats sick and traitorous. You're beginning to see more and more of them declare the opposition literal servants of Satan, and that's the behavior that is rewarded.

As always, the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves. We have the government we deserve.