A lot of political dysfunction is just a function of the political system not needing to function for the economy and society to keep humming along, except in very rare instances. What politics does in between these times is quench the public’s thirst for entertainment.

It’s nice to have serious legislators, but you actually don’t *need* them if we don’t need to pass new laws very often. This is actually a sign of societal resilience and health rather than institutional decay.