When Nothing Happens, A Lot Can Get Done

Icon of the right George Will has long argued that Congress is working best when it is gridlocked. The basic idea is that the founders never wanted a political system that instantly responded to voter concerns -- that's rule by mass hysteria. Instead, the checks and balances and the multi-party system were all established to "slow things down" enough to make a well-thought-out decision.
I'm not going to comment on Will's position, but I think it is interesting that stem cell research -- or better yet the ideas around stem cell research -- are evolving in the public discourse. It was never a black-and-white issue, and now that both sides have initially dug in, they are both having to take new positions in response to the other, and advances in science.
One of the toughest things I've had to learn as a consultant (and I'm still learning it!) is that people are not computers -- you can't walk into a room, make some kind of logical proof of your position, and have everybody change their minds. It simply doesn't work that way. Instead, real change takes place over weeks and months, as you build relationships and come to grasp on the terms of the discussion. This is some of the toughest material for a technical guy like me to learn. I am used to programming the computer, reviewing the design, working the problem, etc, and then getting on with it. But real-life groups of people are not so easy to move, and one has to be patient to make progress. Who knows? Maybe that's what those schmucks we pay in Washington are doing?