Republicans don’t want to save the economy. They don’t want to put Americans back to work. They don’t want to get out of the recession. At least not until they see one of their own with their hand on a Bible on Jan. 20, 2013.

Sound cynical? Ten years ago it would have been, but in today’s political circus it’s impossible to deny. This period of American history has been referred to as “stagnant,” “deadlocked” and “partisan,” and it’s not hard to see why. With Washington divided, the political “process” has become one of propose, vote down and repeat.

This summer we saw in vivid detail the appalling state of political disarray when politicians on both sides gambled with American prosperity and lost. The debt crisis was a moment of clarity when voters realized that the political system is indeed broken. However, more appalling than the realization is the fact that not a single thing has been done to remedy it.

Sure, both sides promised efforts towards bipartisanship, they claimed they cared more about their constituents than their campaigns and they swore things would get better. Then they turned around and blamed each other for the mess. Unsurprisingly, their actions led to a credit downgrade that continues to ripple across the country. Shockingly, media have dropped the story and politicians faced essentially no consequences.

But what could be a bigger story than the still-unstable stock market, the shaken faith of foreign investors, and the possibility of increased interest rates for those already carrying the weight of the wheezing economy? Oh yes…who will become the next director of the shit show?

While the 45th president of the United States has over a year before he or she takes office, the spectacle of who will emerge as a candidate has completely captured America’s attention. The presidential hopefuls are carefully grooming their personas, strategizing how to win votes and perfecting the art of cutting down their competitors. While these are all normal aspects of political campaigns, this particular campaign started a bit early: the day Obama was sworn in.

It seems that since the day they lost the election, Republicans have been doing their damndest to undermine, overturn and throw out every piece of legislation proposed by the president or his fellow Democrats.

Shut down Guantanamo Bay? Congress wouldn’t authorize it. Revamp health care? Only an extremely edited version passed and each Republican candidate has sworn to overturn it. Offer a compromise that favored Republicans to solve the debt crisis? They wanted all or nothing.

Fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats are what make up our two-party system, but at some point the American people need to be put before ideologies. That point is now. As a country we are facing high unemployment and a tedious stock market. We are funding wars with money that isn’t ours. We are losing the ability to pay social security, to fund the post office and to budget adequate support for education. And what are our presidential hopefuls arguing about? Who hates Obamacare more.

The presidential campaign would be a mere annoyance if the quest for control of the White House hadn’t spread to every politician in Washington. Issues are voted on along party lines, with the only real explanation being that Republicans don’t want Democrats to “win” and vice versa. It seems the desire to have the upper hand has driven policy makers to do everything possible to obtain it. Well, everything except make policies.

Take Obama’s jobs plan, a far from perfect document, but an effort nonetheless. One of its elements is extending the payroll tax cut in hopes of encouraging hiring, a point tax-loathing Republicans were expected to agree with. They didn’t. In a surprising about-face, Republicans shelved their no-tax-ever mantra to reject Obama’s proposal, even though they supported the same measure in 2001 and 2008. But why? Even such respected sources as The New Republic suspect it is to see Obama fail.

Americans are tired of political chess where the sole objective of a party is to claim checkmate. Both parties claim they are always acting in the interests of the people, that they are supporting or refuting legislation based on its merit and consequences. This cannot possibly be true when the primary goal of any politician is to stay in office at all costs. Next to nothing has been accomplished in the last three years, and unlike his would-be replacements claim, it is not solely the fault of the president.

Compromise has to be a component of the political process or we will remain at a standstill – a fact both parties willfully ignore. Abraham Lincoln once said, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” If policy makers continue to treat politics like a game to be won, the house will fall and land on the American people – politicians and all.

Allegra Dimperio ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.