The State of Italy's Political System is... Terrible

Read this Wall Street Journal report on Italian attempts to build a coalition government because it makes American politics look functional by comparison:

Democratic Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani was unable to persuade the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which won more than 25% of the February vote, to back a new government led by him. As a result, late on Thursday, Mr. Bersani told Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano that his talks had been inconclusive. ...

The Five Star Movement, led by former comedian Beppe Grillo, has said repeatedly that it won't cooperate with any established political parties. On Wednesday, Mr. Grillo called other party leaders "whoremongers."

For his part, Mr. Bersani has ruled out any coalition with scandal-tarnished former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who leads a rival center-right coalition and has said a bipartisan government is the only way forward.