Much of the time when I see footage of a legislative session I can’t help but feel embarrassed by the behavior of the participants. The interactions routinely devolve into heated shouting matches and passionate demands for resignations. Grouping members by party affiliation, rather than dispersed in alphabetical order, seems to insulate members from differing perspectives and seems to produce mob-mentalities and knee-jerk antagonism.
The simple act of altering the seating arrangement in these chambers could go a long way toward increasing civility. Arranging members alphabetically rather than according to party affiliation might result in more tempered behavior, more civil interactions, increased cooperation, and perhaps even better legislation.
