U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama speak directly to each other during the second U.S. presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, October 16, 2012 (REUTERS/Mike Segar).
Paper
Policy Leadership and the Blame Trap: Seven Strategies for Avoiding Policy Stalemate
March 29, 2013, R. Kent Weaver
R. Kent Weaver writes that negative messages about political opponents increasingly dominate not just election campaigns in the United States, but the policymaking process as well. Audiences tend to pay more attention to blame-generating than positive information though it often results in policy stalemate. Weaver offers seven strategies for avoiding policy deadlock.