Causes of Political Polarization in American Politics
Explore the origins of political polarization in American politics, examining factors such as voter sorting, divisive issues, party realignments, and cohesive regional alignments. Delve into perspectives on how the American electorate and political parties have contributed to the polarization we see today.
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Presentation Transcript
Polarization of American Politics C B
Research Question What has caused the political polarization we see today: where did it come from and who caused it?
Introduction Over the past half-century our politics have become increasingly more polarized Key factors Voter sorting Divisive issues Party realignments Cohesive regional alignments
2ndSchool of Thought: The American Electorate The American electorate has caused the polarization we see today due to divisive issues and group sorting Gay marriage Government subsidies Abortion Rights Blue state residents were fifteen points less likely to attend church regularly (Galston 2008, 313) The development of the Christian right during Reagan s first election campaign
Figure 1. Ideological Score: Senators and Representatives In 1973-74: 240 members of the House scored between the most conservative Democrat and the most liberal Republican By 1983-84: only 10 Senators and 66 Representatives fell between the most conservative Democrat and the most liberal Republican www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/12/polarized-politics-in-congress- began-in-the-1970s-and-has-been-getting-worse-ever-since/
1st School of Thought: The Parties The political parties has caused the polarization we see today The realignment of the parties has caused more party cohesion Southern realignment Regional cohesion Republican Revolution Elimination of the three-party system (Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal)
Partisan Identification Trends Figure 2 http://www.electionstudies.org/nesguide/toptable/tab2a_1.htm
Research Design In the research design, I made the decision I would analyze election data I chose to go with the 1st school of thought: the parties have caused the polarization in American politics
Analysis and Conclusion The political parties has caused the political polarization The Southern realignment Elimination of the three-party system Increasing party cohesion
References Galston, William A. 2008. Political Polarization and the U.S. Judiciary. UMKC Law Review. 77, 2: 307 324. Hein Online (February 17, 2018). Desilver, Drew. 2014. The Polarized Congress of Today has its Roots in the 1970s. Pew Research Center. June 14. www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2014/06/12/polarized-politics-in-congress-began-in-the-1970s-and-has-been- getting-worse-ever-since/ (April 27, 2018). ANES. 2015. Party Identification 7-Point Scale (revised in 2008) 1952-2012. The American National Election Studies. November 15. http://www.electionstudies.org/nesguide/toptable/tab2a_1.htm (April 30th, 2018) Poole T, Keith, and Howard Rosenthal. 2007. On Party Polarization in Congress. Daedalus. 136, 3: 104 107. JSTOR Journals (February 15, 2018).
