According to Bazerman, Neale and Lewicki*, there are five biases or mind-sets that sabotage effective negotiations. These observations were written in 1983, so they are widely known and widely ignored.
Grandstanding...escalates conflict and polarization in negotiation when a firm public
position is taken prior to negotiation. There is little room for
anything but escalation since a retreat from or a change in the public
position will be perceived as weakness and failure.
Public opinion is toxic to negotiation. Even when there is significant overlap in "acceptable" solutions, the rank-and-file shareholders will not accept any solution until both teams of negotiators pound each other to pulp. The rank-and-file's perception is that their negotiator could have "done better if they had tried harder" unless they cross the finish line totally spent and depleted.
...bias due to the setting of a referent point (the benchmark by which gains or
losses are determined) along the same lines as their public target
goals, so that negotiators come to negotiation with a posture that
fosters risk-seeking attitudes, making it less likely that a settlement
will be reached.
...overconfident regarding the belief that their position will prevail,
they will not be cooperative in pursuing other, more creative options
conducive to a settlement
...inability or unwillingness to perceive the interests, aims, and needs of the other party
has a bearing on rational negotiations, since a negotiator unable or
unwilling to understand the other party's perspectives is not likely to
bargain realistically.
...view that there is a 'fixed pie' (the gains of one party will mean loss
for the other) also inhibits the development of creative options that
yield maximal joint benefits.
Looking at the budget negotiations and the government shutdown, Schumer is between a rock and a hard place. He has the uber-liberals barking at his heels. Occasional-Cortex will probably beat him in the 2028 Primaries. The other side owns the 80% side of most of the 80-20 issues.
The other side of the aisle the 80% side of most of the 80-20 issues. The only thing that can derail the 2028 elections are the economy. A 40 day government shut-down does not weaken their position as much as it hurts Schumer's side.
It is my opinion that we are already in a recession even though reporting agencies and MSM claim we are not. Driving around, I see more and more "toys" and vehicles parked by the road with For Sale signs in the windshields. Recession-denial will make it drag on and impact the 2028 elections.
Prolonged recessions are akin to amputating a leg one inch at a time. The dead-wood and non-performing assets are given CPR since they are stage-props. Resources that could be invested in productive enterprises are frozen in those dead-man-walking companies and the real economy is moribund.
A 40-day shutdown would speed the collapse of the housing prices, especially in the hyper-inflated Maryland-northern Virginia market and would restore some sanity in lending. All of the "important" people on the east and west coasts will suddenly be talking about the recession when they lose 20% of the assessed value on their $5.7M mansion.
*Heuristics in Negotiation - Limitations to Effective Dispute Resolution (From Negotiating in Organizations, P 51-67, 1983, Max H Bazerman and Roy J Lewicki, ed.
