What Borgen Could Teach the United States House of Representatives

I recently watched the Danish series Borgen on Netflix, which follows the Prime Minister of Denmark during and then after she served in other government positions, in this political drama. Parliamentary forms of government are very different from the split in roles that we have in the United States with the Senate, House, and President through a two-party system. While we will probably never adopt this form of democracy, it is interesting to think of some things we could learn from it.

 

From what I have read about parliamentary systems and watched unfold in Borgen, differences with parties must be worked out in advance to form the government, rather than just being at loggerheads and getting nothing done. A parliamentary system could help prevent societal polarization, encourage political agreement, and lead to higher levels of government accountability.

 

We are now faced in 2023 with a Republican controlled House of Representatives, that because they do not have a large majority, must compromise on unneeded investigations of President Biden, Dr. Fauci, the Department of Justice, and who knows what else so that Kevin McCarthy can have the votes necessary to be the Speaker of the House.

 

Why can’t rational minds in both the Republican and Democratic Parties in the House of Representatives come together and form a centrist coalition and cut out the extremist elements of each party. Those individuals would not receive a voice, as they would not be named to important committee chair posts by the coalition. What a great thing if Kevin McCarthy or another Republican could preside over a House Chamber that wants to compromise and get some things done, rather than waste time and effort while we all suffer, and our tax dollars are wasted.

 

With this centrist coalition, perhaps we could finally come to some agreement on immigration, to name only one example. It would also finally put to rest the MAGA element that only wants to destroy our democracy. Our recent election showed that both Democrats and Republicans do not want this type of future, as many of these radicals were soundly defeated in their respective elections. It is time for all Americans to stand up and demand that congress work together for the betterment of our democracy!

The Borgen Logo is from the Netflix Website.