Polarization in Congress: A Dichotomy of Unity and Division within the Legislative Branch POLARIZATION OVERVIEW: Polarization occurs when members of both political parties consistently vote along ideological lines. Ideological differences in Congress today are quite staggering. Congressmen have increasingly been moving away from moderate stances and adhering more to party ideologies. The issue with polarization arises when there are two incredibly differing ideologies where both sides feel so strongly about their view that compromise is unfeasible. Some Congressmen able to adhere to a coherent personal ideological beliefs, but there is a growing number of Congressmen that vote based on the party issue positions or on how their constituents want them to. Polarization is a dichotomy because the parties both divide the nation while simultaneously uniting the nation because most people associate themselves with a single party. DEVOTE MORE TIME TO CAMPAIGNS: Without polarization, and with increased competition, Congressman would have a tougher time acquiring donations and campaigning. Therefore, they would spend even more time with lobbyists for donations and with constituents in order to secure reelection when. Currently, half of staff members of Congressmen are located in the home-state and district offices to ensure that the Congressman get reelected, and this number could potentially increase without polarization. MORE ORGANIZED: A highly diverse Congress is able to unite due to polarization and become highly organized. When a party adheres to strict ideologies, it ensures more votes and more Congressmen “toeing the party line.” Polarization, especially in the House of Representatives, creates better organization and l... ... middle of paper ... ...ecomes, the more likely the disagreements over permanent budget solutions lead to temporary solutions that barely stave off government shutdown.” p.165 ONLY VOTING ALONG PARTY LINES: New incentives to vote along the party line → campaign support by the party and PACs, leadership may also offer committee assignments/chairs in reward for voting along the party lines Because of the immense pressure incumbents put on their candidates, they must first receive significant financial donations from PACs, interest groups, trade organizations, or large corporations. However, in order to ensure future donations, Congressmen typically vote in favor of bills supporting their financial donors. Now, “members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties in the House and Senate vote together on approximately 90 percent of all legislation considered by both bodies.” p.164
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.
The excerpt “Congress: The Electoral Connection” written by David Mayhew centers around the fundamental arguments that discusses how members of congress are self-interested for reelection. Mayhew further elaborates on his idea by discussing the electoral activities that congress members devote their time into and resource from, which are advertising, credit-claiming, and position taking. Mayhew’s excerpt further examines the framework in how congress operates which contributes to the explanation of how and why congress partakes in the certain electoral activities.
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.
8.In order for political success, both sides of the political spectrum must be critically examined in order to omit mistakes and for cultural advancement. Over two hundred years of United States politics have seen many changes. The names of parties may have changed, but the bi-partisan feature of the party-system has not. Republicans and Democrats are our two major partisan groups in present day America. Sometimes there are disagreement amongst party members that lead to dispute and a less concentrated effort. That is the beauty of a democracy, everyone is allowed to put their two cents worth in.
Power, Money, Political Party, and Career are four principle factors that influence the way Congress votes. These factors can weigh heavy upon a congress man or woman when choosing what they believe is the right vote. Whether the vote benefits who they are voting on for or if selfish reasons are jeopardizing their vote which has been criticized by many taxing paying citizen who want the money to go into programs, services, and projects to improve the nation. Congress votes should always benefit the country as a whole, not certain people.
...ilities of Congress is that minorities and factions exist: dissent takes place, not disagreements. Verbal brawls take place rather than actual argumentation, and that is what kills democracy. That is why things never get done.
In the United States of America, there are a number of national issues that go unresolved and become more of a major issue subsequently. The lack of resolution in some of our nation’s most critical issues is due to the lack of a common ground between opposing political parties. Issues such as healthcare, climate change, abortion, same-sex marriage, taxes and welfare are reoccurring problems in the United States due to congressional gridlock. The cause of congressional gridlock can be attributed to the difference in liberal and conservative views, which can be further examined through some of the nation’s most prominent reoccurring issues such as immigration and gun control.
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.
Political Divide in the United States The political divide in the United States is very bad. The two main political parties are the democrats and the republicans. The two parties dislike each other and each other's views. Abortion is something that has been talked about a lot, some people find it good and others find it as a bad thing. Health care is another issue that is controversial. Another big issue is illegal immigration. The death penalty and euthanasia are also reasons the government is divided. The topic of the right to bear arms is also very controversial, especially with all the murders and riots going on. Global warming, even though it does not seem very political, is a topic that comes up a lot in political speeches and events. And lastly, the separation of church and state is another topic that gets in heated discussions in politics. Not all of these seem like they are political, but they have been made into be, even though they should not have, the United States is divided over them. The political parties have caused the country to be divided. Democrats and Republicans, also known as liberals and conservatives, most people do
Everyone had that one friend in middle school that caused drama every day. This is what political parties are like today. There is that one person on the right who is convincing the person in the middle to pick a side of a story, and the person on the left who is also trying to convince the person in the middle to stick with their version of the story. Everyone is biased towards each other due to what side they choose. The middle man is always lost in the argument and the actual story is changed. Neither side will work it out and just in spite of the other side, they will deny whatever the other says without giving it second thought. Political parties have become this immature and polarized. There can never be a consensus because of the extreme
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.
Also, if a politician chooses to vote against clear party lines, their political party many not endorse them in the election. An endorsement from a major party would boost a politicians campaign. Similarly, a party may not support a piece of legislation that the politician is trying to pass because he or she went against the party in the past. With this in mind, many congressmen choose not to vote against party lines. If a representative chooses not to vote, or votes along party lines, he or she is able to remove the blame placed on him or her when a piece of legislation negatively effects his or her constituents, or he or she is able to show his or her constituents that they tried to make effective change, but because of factors out of his or her control, they were unable to do
Today, political parties can be seen throughout everyday life, prevalent in various activities such as watching television, or seeing signs beside the road while driving. These everyday occurrences make the knowledge of political parties commonly known, especially as the two opposing political parties: the Republicans and the Democrats. Republican and Democrats have existed for numerous years, predominantly due to pure tradition, and the comfort of the ideas each party presents. For years, the existence of two political parties has dominated the elections of the president, and lower offices such as mayor, or the House of Representatives. Fundamentally, this tradition continues from the very emergence of political parties during the election of 1796, principally between Federalist John Adams and Anti-federalist Thomas Jefferson. Prior to this election people unanimously conformed to the ideas of one man, George Washington, and therefore did not require the need for political parties.1 However, following his presidency the public was divided with opposing opinions, each arguing the best methods to regulate the country. Ultimately, the emergence of different opinions regarding the future of the United States involving the economy, foreign relations, ‘the masses,’ and the interpretation of the Constitution, led to the two political parties of the 1790s and the critical election of 1800.
As of 2017, it seems that our beloved nation is more divided than ever. Near-opposite political parties have turned our country against each other while developing more idealistic, extreme views on how to run this country. These opposing political parties dates back to our founding fathers, who created these political parties in benefit of our country. However, the parties only created division and competition, resulting in worse than good.
In representative government, parties are often found. Perhaps the most prevalent danger in a party system is a party split, which paralyzes government just as much as a divergence of executive, legislative, and judicial powers in government.