[gilbert_vanova]

The US in particular is occupied by many competing powers. No one group has sweeping control of anything; most everyone is held in a deathgrip by interests to either side of their desired positions.

From city councils to the oval office, a lot of leaders have a short list of who's approval they need and can't get to do anything at all.

Federalism invites this type of incongruity. The silver lining is that it's a game that keeps a certain type of person preoccupied so as not to pursue worse ways of exploiting the rest of us.