If you are talking just about USA politics and not just in general, how are governments able to function...
I'd say USA seriously needs an overhaul of their political system. It is becoming more and more dysfunctional.
Most collaborations require such as marriage, business partners etc requires some level of congeniality, and integrity and grace, and a willingness to get along and work towards some common goals.
But in USA it seems, more and more so that some people just want to be tribal and combative, and want to sabotage the others and want to pander only to their own base and want to attack anyone else.
What I'm not seeing much of, is considered discussions on economic policies.
What I am seeing too much of, is mischaracterisations of the other side, and fighting over things that aren't actually in the government's policies e.g. "wokeness".
I'm also not seeing much interest in people in criticising their own preferred party or party members.
And the whole 24x7 news channels certainly aren't helping. They need to fill in space, so it mostly becomes opinions and various people just chatting about either what they feel about the news or their predictions of the future.
I also don't like how so many people in USA register an affiliation with a Party. "I'm a registered Democrat" "I'm a registered Republican", "I'm an independant".
It seems if you register then you are associating yourself as a "member" of that party. So then when the election comes around, are you likely to vote otherwise?
USA government system is so broken. You get a party in power, who furiously try to achieve their campaign promises for two years and then are blocked after the mid-terms.
USA as a whole needs to gain faith in their elections, faith in the Justice system, the intelligence agencies, the police etc.
When people promote attacking and destroying faith in these things, then I don't know what you are left with? Just anger, paranoia, hatred, and a willingness to fight.
