When one hears polarization what comes to mind? Division? Freezing? Polarization being discussed is the views of people and how they differ. So what is political polarization? Political polarization refers to cases in which an individual’s stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party or ideology. Politics have caused many problems in our country and polarization is a very significant one. The articles “Divided We Now Stand”, “What’s Wrong with Washington? Tribalism”, and “How Politics Break Our Brains, and How We Can Put Them Back Together” all have two main subjects in common which are how polarization in our country has worsened over the years, and …show more content…
Many believe that people are hardwired to prefer a specific side in politics and remain loyal to that side. Susan Page, author of “Divided We Now Stand”, cited Democratic pollster Mark Mellman who stated “That the predisposition to automatically retreat to separate camps ‘is one of the primary reasons why our political climate is so partisan and polarized’” which explains the separation happening in America. Others believe the same concept but with an interesting twist. Norman Ornstein, author of “What’s Wrong with Washington? Tribalism” explains polarization in his own words. Ornstein states that tribalism goes further than polarization; “tribalism is an approach where if you are for it, I am reflectively against it-even if I was for it yesterday”. By explaining polarization in both the here as well as the past, Ornstein expresses that humans are the decision makers in this situation. That one takes information into consideration along with others opinions and choices when making a …show more content…
Some Americans believe that they are not at fault for any of the political problems at hand. Many people are “so blinded by our partisanship that it overrides reason-” and this is happening more frequently stated Resnick. As decisions are being made, people fall into what the corresponding party feels best, therefore, making the polarization between the groups more defined. The American people think the polarization is not because of themselves but the political parties and the politicians instead because the parties are creating the situations but the people are choosing and adopting them. Susan Page cited Mellman again on the fact that ‘There’s no question the American public sees the country as divided and as increasingly divided, and as usual, they don’t think it’s their fault’. Many Americans believe that politicians are the reason for all the changes in the government and the political system itself. American politics are dysfunctional because “the sharp and ideological polarization that characterizes our time” stated Ornstein. It is human nature to shift the blame to someone or something else in order to feel less guilty. The reasoning behind the American people not taking responsibility is obvious. Some may say it is because the people themselves are irresponsible, others may say it is because the decision of the politicians. These decisions are being made and put into action without true
Renowned author Charles Dickens once wrote, “it was the best of times and the worst of times” (Tale of Two Cities). An all to true statement when one looks at the current American political situation, but author and journalist Jonathan Rauch endeavors to analyze the current political climate and explain how it became what it is today. In his article ‘How American Politics went Insane’, Rauch dissects the 2016 election and events leading up to the final vote to understand how politics went sideways. Rauch begins by offering a hypothetical scenario that depicts an extreme disintegration of American politics and its political institutions and parties.
Because the most polarized individuals are often the most politically active, they have the most influence on the government, which results in the election of polarized candidates and policies.
Furthermore, he introduces the idea that popular polarization is different from partisan polarization and that sorting has occurred within the parties. Meaning that “those who affiliate with a party… are more likely to affiliate with the ideologically ‘correct’ party than they were [before]” (Fiorina et al. 61). To illustrate the concept of polarization he uses a figure with marble filled urns. These urns depict red blue and gray marbles with r for republican d for democrat and i for independent. When polarization, all gray independent marbles disappear becoming either red or blue.
club meets every night. Phineas and Gene open each night by jumping out of the
In Sinclair’s analysis, voters, political activists, and politicians all play significant roles in creating and enforcing the ideological gap between the two major parties in Congress. This trend of polarization is rooted in the electorate
Partisanship is a natural phenomenon for Human beings; we seek out, long for, and align ourselves with others who share our views. Through these people, we polish our ideas and gain courage from the knowledge that we are not alone in our viewpoint. Factions give breadth, depth, and volume to our individual voice. James Madison, the author of the Federalist #10 underlined the causes of factions, the dangers factions can pose, and solutions to the problem.
But, it also speaks to the wider systematic polarization within the American political system. Political polarization in the United States is a result of cultural and geographical polarization. South V. North, Republican V. Democrat and is firmly rooted in regional history. The cowboy persona which some of these Presidents and politicians choose to adopt, is inherently linked to the physical geographical place from which they hail and the role that place has played in the unfolding of American history. It shapes the character of, (as of yet at least) “the man”, his administration and ultimately the policy of the country for at least four years. The image and persona adopted by these men is nurtured by the regional culture and history of the place that they reside and represent. It can be seen in every president from Kennedy to Reagan and Bush to Obama.
Whether political polarization is good or bad for the nation is still up for debate, but the general consensus is it exists due to a variety of reasons. From the construction of our Constitution, it is clear that the intent of our founding fathers was to create opposition in order to prevent tyranny from prevailing. Polarization is a result of the dividing of a nation into political parties. Though polarization has fluctuated throughout the years, it has caused a great deal of trouble in regards to passing legislation and has resulted in a gridlocked Congress. Even though some fear congressional polarization is destined to get worse, “it is mathematically impossible for congress to get much more polarized” than it is now.
Democracy is rule by the people; the people elect governing officials based off of their personal values and beliefs. Different political parties rule the political scene and are serving to represent the people’s opinions in the best ways possible. Previously, I had a belief that my political view was essentially the only one possible and therefore it was the best. These views changed quickly once I learned the different political parties, their views, how they represent the people’s views, and how public opinion shapes politics. The government is formed around differentiating opinions on which policies should be in place and which social aspects need to be considered first. Not only is the government guided by opinion, but the people’s lives are guided by opinion as well. Each individual holds a different view, and each view can have an influence on society. Fortunately, after roughly eight weeks of studying American Government, I now have a better sense of complexity and the value of
A platform of “A Vote For Every American” should pass the lips of every elected official until this problem is rectified. Americans must work together to solve this problem, allowing a new and better system to give way to a fair and just system of electing the next United States’ President. Bibliography Beck, Paul Allen, and Hershey, Marjorie Randon. Party Politics in America? 9th Ed. -.
In conclusion, I believe that polarization exists in the United States. I agree with many of the points that Wilson brings up in his article, as states previously. The gap between liberals and conservatives is getting wider and wider, leaving nowhere for those with moderate views to be in the mix. Polarization is detrimental to our two party dominated republic, and it is difficult to determine what may fix our political system.
... Issues and Inheritance in the Formation of Party Identification. American Journal of Political Science, 970-988. Oakes, P., Alexander, H., & John, T. (1994). Stereotyping and social reality.
I am responding to Micheal Schudson’s essay titled “America’s Ignorant Voter”. He makes several arguments against whether America having relatively ignorant voters poses a problem to our society, and whether it’s becoming worse over the years. One of the arguments he poses as to why Americans seem so clueless about political matters is due to the complexities of our nation’s political institutions.
Americans have become so engrossed with the rhetoric of political parties that many are unable have real discussions about “freedom, fairness, equality, opportunity, security, accountability.” (Lakoff p.177) The election of 1828 gave birth to the “professional politician” it demonstrated how “ambivalence” on issues, how image and the right language or narrative can influence voters. Partisanship did increase competition and empower voters to a greater degree, but it has also divided Americans and obstructed communication. As one historian declared the “old hickory” killed the ideal of nonpartisan leadership. (Parsons p.184) For better or for worse American politics were forever be changed in 1828.
As progressively more accepted interdisciplinary and multi-method approach, which has now become a need of time, for interpreting in detail political phenomena at individual-level, the rapidly growing field of political psychology has made significant strides in illuminating the processes that are hidden behind the political affiliations, attitudes, feelings, decision making, behavior and above all in the interaction among the individual and group. For this reason, it is in a exceptional position to perk up the explanatory power of research in both psychology and political science that surrounds the national and international relations that either directly or indirectly deals with the individual psychology.