What is polarization?

Political polarization is defined as moving away from the political center toward more extreme ideological position. Basically, going from more moderate to radical. The US has become a lot more polarized since the 1990s. The Republican and Democrat parties have shifted further right and left, respectively. This is causes people to increasingly hold strickly beliefs aligned with their party and feeling hostility towards the other side.

Why’s this a problem?

As parties move further apart ideologically, compromise becomes a lot harder to find. This leads to: stalemates in congress where laws and policies are delayed or blocked, especially on major issues, and polarized parties are more likely to use extreme tactics like government shutdowns. It also causes many Americans to lose faith in the government, media, and elections. With new media becoming many heavily biased networks that demonize the other party, and elections being seen by some as fraudulent. The demonization of the other side can escalate into things like the January 6th Capitol attack, and other violent actions and threats. It also causes problems among us socially and causes division between friends and families.

How the party switch influenced polarization

In the early 20th century both the parties were ideologically mixed. You could find both liberals and conservatives in each party which meant less polarization overall. The Civil Rights Movement gained support from Democratic leaders such as Lyndon B Johnson. This alienated white Southern conservatives who traditionally were democrats. The Republican party, with Richard Nixon, implemented the “Southern Strategy” which appealed to white voters in the south who weren’t happy with the Democratic parties civil rights stance.

Over a few decades, Democrats became increasingly aligned with liberal policies like civil rights, social justice, and expanded government programs. Republicans became more conservative, especially on social and racial issues, favoring states rights and limited government. Voters and politicians began sorting themselves into parties that matched their values more consistently. This sorting reduced the number of moderates overall and widened the ideological gap.

The parties now stand for very different values, and there’s less Republicans and Democrats that share views. Unlike how in the mid 20th century, many actually had similar views. As the parties became more isolated, group identity became a bigger factor. People began to see politics as less of difference in opinion, and more of a battle between good and evil.

In conclusion, the party switch played a major role in the political polarization we see in America today. Over the years both parties have drifted further apart, becoming more ideologically isolated. We can see the effects all around us today; in the media, government, and even personal relationships. At some point the tension may hit a breaking point, or maybe it’ll eventually die down. But if history teaches us anything, it’s that if it goes unchecked, it rarely ends well.