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Over the years, the American political system has developed in such a way in which parties have become increasingly polarized. In terms of ideologies as well as identifications, members of government and common voters have become more extreme and loyal to their respective parties, creating an increasingly partisan government. Before understanding why parties have become more polarized, the definition of party polarization must be understood. A specific definition of party polarization can also be understood as partisanship when someone’s stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party. But what exactly has caused party polarization and what are the consequences …show more content…
In order to appeal to their constituents, politicians act as agents that serve the respective needs of constituents (*lecture). However, politicians also tend to have party agendas that sway voters to one side. One prime example of this is the pro-choice versus pro-life debate on abortion between Republicans and Democrats. It is typical of a Democratic politician to follow a party agenda that promotes pro-life ideologies and will therefore promote pro-life policies such as increasing funding for Planned Parenthood. While not all Democrats will be pro-life, they will still vote for Democratic politicians because of party identification, giving an impression of more polarized views. This logic extends to nearly everything that divides Republicans and Democrats including but not limited to gun control, energy, same-sex marriage, income tax, and global warming. Likewise, people can also be more moderate on certain issues, but when they vote for a certain politician, they can be showing more support than they feel. This gives politicians incredible power in terms of what they can do and most tend to participate in the act of “gerrymandering”, or drawing legislative districts in order to give one political party an advantageously larger share of seats for the share of votes (Kernell 681). Knowing that their constituents will likely still support them, politicians have leeway in terms of what they can do, and what they have done traditionally has contributed to increased
A party’s platform is its official statement of beliefs and values. These platforms established from the view of a party such as Republic Party and Democrat Party. They have their own platforms to create their views on an issue. However, if the Democrat Party has their notions, Republican Party is not inherently related based on their true definitions. There are some similarities and differences between Republican Party and Democrat Party.
In this essay, I will explain why Texas should retain the partisan election of judges. Texas is one of the few states that elect their judges using a Partisan voting method. Partisan elections can be unfair and can misinform the voter. A high legal position such as a judge should never be chosen in such a manner. Partisan elections often cost more than nonpartisan elections in campaigning. Partisan elections are also more likely to lead to straight ticket voting or mindless voting. Partisan elections also lead to more campaign contributions and can increase the power of constituencies. Lastly partisan elections can cause an imbalance in equal represent the population. Therefore, Partisanship voting does not belong in the courts of Texas and
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
The United States of America has engaged in the battle known as political polarization since before its foundation in 1776. From the uprising against the powerful British nation to the political issues of today, Americans continue to debate about proper ideology and attempt to choose a side that closely aligns with their personal beliefs. From decade to decade, Americans struggle to determine a proper course of action regarding the country as a whole and will often become divided on important issues. Conflicts between supporters of slavery and abolitionists, between agriculturalists and industrialists, and between industrial workers and capitalists have fueled the divide. At the Congressional level there tends to be a more prevalent display of polarization and is often the blame of Congress’ inefficiency. James Madison intentionally designed Congress to be inefficient by instating a bicameral legislation. Ambition would counter ambition and prevent majority tyranny. George Washington advised against political parties that would contribute to polarization and misrepresentation in his Farewell Address of 1796. Washington warns, “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” Today, the struggle to increase power between political parties results in techniques to gain even the smallest marginal gains. To truly understand political polarization, we must examine data collected through a variety of means, the effects of rapidly changing technology, and observe what techniques are used to create such a polarized political system.
The United States, comprised of much political diversity, has only two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party was founded by anti-slavery activists on March 20th, 1854, and is represented by its mascot, the elephant. Often referred to as the “Grand Old Party”, or GOP, Republicans favor customs that exude traditional Christian values with a platform based on American Conservatism. As a Christian myself, the values I share with Republican ideals are a main reason I side with the Republican Party.
Theodore Rosenhof phrases realignment as a theory that suggests an overall shift in partisan dominance as a result of a shift in the way voters align themselves (2). Realignment can be centered around a critical election, in which the shift in power transpires rapidly over the course of one election (Thomas Ferguson, 407). However, realignment can also transpire slowly, occurring over a period of many elections. The realignment theory is comprised of various characteristics that determines whether an election is critical or not. It is important to note that although realignment is comprised of characteristics, some of these characteristics will be evident in one election but not in another. For a better understanding, of the characteristics that define realignment, this essay will firstly use a specific case study that emphasizes the attributes required for a critical election and secondly apply these characteristics to the current 2016 elections to determine whether a realigning election is being
Political parties, like interest groups, are organized groups that effort to influence the government by electing their associates to important government offices. The first party system appeared in the 1970s and pitted the federalist beside the Jeffersonian Republican. Over the years, the federalists progressively weakened and disappeared altogether after the pro-British sympathies of some Federalist leaders for the duration of the War of 1812 led to charges of betrayal against the party. From the collapse of the federalist until 1830s, American had only one political party, the Jeffersonian Republicans, who gradually came to be known as the Democrats. There was strong factional conflict within the Democratic Party, principally between the
There is much debate in the United States whether or not there is polarization between our two dominate political parties. Presidential election results have shown that there is a division between the states; a battle between the Democratic blue states and the Republican red states. And what is striking is that the “colors” of these states do not change. Red stays red, and blue stays blue. Chapter 11 of Fault Lines gives differing views of polarization. James Wilson, a political science professor at Pepperdine University in California, suggests that polarization is indeed relevant in modern society and that it will eventually cause the downfall of America. On the contrast, Morris Fiorina, a political science professor at Stanford University, argues that polarization is nothing but a myth, something that Americans should not be concerned with. John Judis, a senior editor at The New Republic, gives insight on a driving force of polarization; the Tea Party Movement. Through this paper I will highlight the chief factors given by Wilson and Judis which contribute to polarization in the United States, and will consider what factors Fiorina may agree with.
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.
While many citizens and pundits can attest to the existence of political polarization, many academics may still ask, does polarization exist? And, if so, what is it? The scholars who define polarization as institutional dysfunction tend to focus on measuring congressional performance and policy positions (Binder 2015, Mayhew 1991). Other scholars tend to differentiate between social polarization and issue polarization (Mason 2014), in which polarization happens not because of issue differentiation, but simply because partisans have inherently conflicting social identities. This essay will detail, first, the sources of polarization which are rooted in demographic change, social dislocation, elite
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.
The Democrats have a liberal ideology and “tend to represent urban areas where most voters favor social welfare spending and environmental and other business regulations…also tend to take a more tolerant view of the diversity of racial, ethnic, and sexual identities”(Davidson, p.98). The Republicans tend to be traditionalists and are, “…economic and cultural conservatives who promote business large and small, advocate certain religious causes and generally support military expenditures” (Davidson, p.98). These opposing views are the bases for candidates’ with polarized ideologies within both
Party polarization is the idea that a party’s individual stance on a given issue or person is more likely to be liberal or conservative. Typically the rise of political uniformity has been more noticeable among people who are the most politically active, but as of late, the vast majority of the American public is spilt down the middle. The broad gap between liberals and conservatives is growing rapidly through the years. Which brings on questions of why there is a cultural division? While it is agreed by most political scientists that the media, elected officials, and interest groups are polarized on given issues, in James Q. Wilson’s article How Divided Are We? he discusses the factors that contribute to the division not only to those major
Ideology is defined as an interlinked set of opinions, value, of belief of a community or an individual (“Ideology”, n.d.). For government, the ability to gain trust of people by practicing ideology that is accepted by its citizen, would become a powerful political tools for its political legitimacy (Mauzy & Milne, 2002). After independent, the massive cultural and ideological transformation was necessary. Due to small amount of resources, economic instability, and social tension, the PAP then conceptualized the ideology of “survival of the nation” (Chua, 1995). Hence, the idea of “pragmatism’ was implemented on the ideology of survival, meaning that the PAP would not push policies that are constructed by belief and idea
Polarization can be described as “An intense commitment to a candidate, a culture, or an ideology that sets people in one group definitively apart from people in another rival group” (Kernell & Smith 494). Two distinct political parties without any overlapping policies may make it easier for the voter to identify with a party. However, party polarization has a hidden cost which is only evident when politicians of these parties are elected to office. Party polarization leads to an inefficient government and at the end of the day, the voters suffer as their preferred policies are stalled in the House of Representatives and Congress respectively. Polarization creates two conflicting ideologies and an unwillingness to negotiate that eventually leads to government failure. Thus, from the façade it may seem as if the voters are the beneficiaries of party polarization but in reality, society as a whole suffers.