Sentence:  We know our school system is beset by mayhem and indifference. We know all about the petty, niece-nephew-and-cousin-hiring satraps who populate the local school boards. And we know about the political <WSD>mud-wrestling</WSD> matches over too many millions of dollars and thousands of bureaucrats to imagine. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A dirty and disreputable dispute.