With Congress facing another potential government shutdown, Americans across the political spectrum have urged both parties to set aside differences and find a compromise. Many people also believe that, if Robert Mueller produces significant evidence of wrongdoing by Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress should vote to impeach him.
Will arguments to “do the right thing” persuade lawmakers? Don't hold your breath. Such exhortations are rarely heeded by politicians, because the structural incentives of the institution usually trump policy considerations.
People often urge members of Congress to take positions that reflect arguments for the public good without regard to electoral or party consequences. They point to so-called profiles in courage, like Edmund Ross, a Kansas Republican who cast the deciding vote to acquit President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, in 1868, or Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a Democratic representative from a conservative district in Pennsylvania, who voted for the Clinton budget in 1993.
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