(Speaking from a complete US-centric perspective here) The goal is to hire electors that know how to work with others to reach solutions. In emergency situations this should be the case because fundamentally, and philosophically, we should all be striving for the same things (how we get there has historically been where the parties have diverged). But those events are very, very rare. I took from the article that the shared fundamental notion of what the US is and means is itself fractured and sectarian. Because of _that_ deadlock is an even more appealing thing to have happen. It's no secret that there are two Americas any more.
