Chuck Todd: The race to build a better internet — before it's too late

One of the worst attributes of our society at times is the search for someone to blame. Sometimes we prioritize figuring out who is at fault rather than focusing on how to fix the problem.

Our current politics are dominated by debates over who is to blame for various problems. Take immigration: The debate over whom to blame takes up more time and space than the debate about how to implement the various ideas we actually all kinda-sorta agree on for fixing the issue at the center of the blame game.

Even the ideas to mitigate the current immigration problems at the border are tied up in a cycle of paralysis that has been repeated over and over in a number of areas, not just immigration, over the past decade.

In fact, about the only thing the country agrees on is that political polarization has stopped us from solving even the smallest problems. But other than agreeing about the existence of our disagreements, we appear incapable of trying to bridge these hardening divides.

One idea to fix our polarization is to come up with a better incentive structure for our politicians so that they act more often for the greater good than for their own personal gain. Right now, it’s clearly broken.

Look at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. All of the incentive structures in her world mean it’s good personal politics for her to create chaos and act like a Congress of one. She can intentionally disrupt Congress for her own whimsical beliefs that benefit no one but her campaign bank account and there is no real downside — for her. She gets more attention and she raises more money, and that allows her to act with some perceived influence, thanks to her online following. The party can cut off her funds and Congress can kick her off