Problem
In the previous session (Congress and Constituency), we indicated that members of Congress typically prefer distributive policies-those that bestow a discrete benefit on a particular interest while spreading the cost across the taxpaying public. Such policies involve a concentrated benefit and a diffuse cost. In this session, we described the rising level of polarization in Congress-with Democrats and Republicans increasingly at odds ideologically. Do you think this development has made it easier for Congress to take up bills that are not of the distributive type? Might the 2010 health care reform bill be an example? In terms of costs and benefits, how would you describe that bill?