Bloomberg Editor Frank Barry: 'We've Designed a Government for Dysfunction, Polarization, and Extremism'

Bloomberg Editor Frank Barry: 'We've Designed a Government for Dysfunction, Polarization, and Extremism'
Published: 24 Jun, 2024
2 min read

Bloomberg editor and author Frank Barry bought an RV and drove across the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway to connect the coasts, to explore the diverse landscape and people of the United States.

He wrote about his experiences in his new book, "Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy."

Barry sat down with Foward Party Co-Founder Andrew Yang and talked about the people he talked to in his journey.

The conversations didn't always start with politics, but they tended to steer in that direction. And as he met with people from all walks of life, he noticed shared sentiments across the political spectrum.

On the surface, most people are frustrated with America's political divide, but on a deeper level people have more in common than they realize -- and many people are looking to escape tribalism and find their own way.

The issue is not the existence of the tribes (or parties). The issue is how elections are designed to divide voters and keep them divided and encourage them to deeply entrench themselves in an "us versus them" mentality.

"We are seeing growing support for opening up election processes to let more independents in," he said. "There is a growing awareness that the takeover of the parties by the extremes is terribly bad for the country."

It's the reason nothing gets done in Washington, and while some suggest that the government the US has is a reflection of its voters and thus is the government they deserve, Barry rejects this notion.

"Lot of cynics say we have the government we deserve. That is their way of looking at this dysfunction -- that it's our own fault," he said. "I think we have the government we designed."

IVP Donate

"We have designed a government for dysfunction, and polarization, and extremism, and we can redesign it for cooperation. It can be done."

It starts with how voters elect their representatives. Barry has been an adamant supporter for opening election processes as a start and has made his rounds with better elections groups over the last few weeks -- including Open Primaries.

Check out the full conversation between Barry and Yang above and learn more about his experience with voters across the nation and the solutions he believes are needed to give voters the government they truly deserve.

In this article

You Might Also Like

Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself. ...
06 Feb, 2026
-
3 min read
No, Trump Can’t Cancel Elections or Ban Ranked Choice Voting
No, Trump Can’t Cancel Elections or Ban Ranked Choice Voting
A recent Independent Voter News article addressed alarms that the SAVE Act could become a vehicle for banning ranked choice voting nationwide, driven by President Donald Trump’s hostility toward mail voting and RCV and by Republican efforts to attach anti-RCV language to federal legislation....
03 Feb, 2026
-
8 min read
Trump’s Immigration Pivot Is Coming. Politically Smart, Legally Necessary
Trump’s Immigration Pivot Is Coming. Politically Smart, Legally Necessary
Immigration has always been a flashpoint in American politics. But in January 2026, it became a political liability for the White House, not just a policy debate. Interior immigration enforcement, ICE operations, and Fourth Amendment rights are now colliding in ways that are reshaping the national p...
30 Jan, 2026
-
5 min read
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself. ...
06 Feb, 2026
-
3 min read
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
While much of the U.S. was slammed with severe winter weather over the weekend, volunteers for Oklahoma State Question 836 – which would end the use of taxpayer-funded closed primaries – made a final push to get their campaign to over 200,000 petition signatures....
27 Jan, 2026
-
3 min read
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
A new statewide poll conducted by the Independent Voter Project finds California’s independent voters overwhelmingly support the state’s nonpartisan primary system and express broad dissatisfaction with the direction of state politics....
12 Jan, 2026
-
4 min read