Polarization of American Politics

Polarization of American Politics

Political polarization refers to divergence in political ideologies and attitudes between two opposing groups. Polarization affects how people think and changes their attitudes toward certain political leaders. Polarization of America politics has brought major divisions among political parties over time. Today, differences in political ideologies by political parties have turned personal. Recent political events in America, like President Trump’s impeachment, government shutdown, are among significant causes of polarization in American politics. Polarization has causes, effects, and solutions that have to be addressed.

Significant causes of political polarization in America are a growing influence of stereotypes about each other and influence from politicians. Formation of identity groups has also contributed to polarization in that the society has shifted its focus on which political group is stronger in terms of popularity over ideologies and development. Racism and ethnicity are other major contributing factors to polarization (Lawrence, Slides& Farrell, 2010). For example, black people are likely to trust their own social groupings. This results in social mistrust; hence people stop working together in institutions like schools, religious organizations, and workplaces.

The impeachment of President Donald Trump in December 2019 brought sharp political divisions. This has resulted in Political parties demonizing and antagonizing each other. The perceptions and ideologies promoted by political leaders have led to the adoption of hate by citizens who have inherited prejudice, and harbor hate against each other. Positive political ideologies are supposed to bring constructive ideas on how to improve the American economy, strengthen its public policies, and give citizens a better environment to live and work in. But it is very clear that politicians are influencing citizens to make politics a personal affair (Lawrence, Slides & Farrell, 2010).

The United States federal government shutdown in 2019 has been the longest in America’s history. The shutdown caused public feuds, destructive political rallies, and hate speech by politicians, while thousands of government workers went home without paychecks. The country lost millions of dollars in revenues and taxes for development. National security was at stake because park rangers and some government officers left their work due to the lack of pay(Lindqvist, 2010). Citizens conducted nationwide protests which allowed theft to occur in the streets. It is evident that the shutdown brought polarization in America. This political event is a classic example of what a country stands to lose in the event of consistent political polarization.

Polarization in America today is deeply entrenched in that it has brought economic, social, and political effects. Americans are increasingly becoming politically segregated in that citizens live and segregate themselves from people who share the different political ideologies from themselves. Antagonistic political campaigns have also been evident in recent presidential elections like in the 2012 and 2016 elections, respectively (Barber, 2016).

Because polarization is emotional, it has also brought mental and health complications to individuals who harbor grudges, prejudices, and hate towards people of the opposite political divide (Tesla, 2012). Research has shown that ethnicity and racism have had negative impacts on individuals who harbor it because emotions consume a large part of the brain resulting in depression and stress.

Being one of the world’s second-largest economies, America is known to have numerous opportunities for growth. To reduce the effects of polarization such as decline in unity and poor economic performance, the government can adopt solutions to curb this menace today (Ostling 2010). The government should create public participation forums to hear the views of American citizens. Assemblies should be brought together to address various social and economic issues. In an economy where every citizen focuses on the economic growth of the country and contributes actively to its development, polarization is likely to be less effective because citizens will focus more on economic growth (Han, 2011). The media should also be regulated and prohibited from giving airtime to politicians who spread hate and ethnic remarks against particular communities. The government should also address election malpractices by the elections body. These measures will ensure that the negative effects of hate speech and political differences between politicians will not lead to further divisions among citizens or affect the economic development of the country.

In conclusion, the polarization of American politics has causes, effects, and solutions that can be addressed to make the nation better. Recent political events have also proven to cause polarization. These events include the recent impeachment proceeding against President Donald Trump, the government shutdown as well as the prevailing stereotypes that are held by Americans against certain political and ethnic groups. It is very evident that the negative impacts of polarization are heavier than the positive. America should shun polarization in all its forms for it to sustain long term economic growth.

References.

Barber, M. J. (2016). Ideological donors, contribution limits, and the polarization of American legislatures. The Journal of Politics, 78(1), 296-310.

Han, H. (2011). The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy.

Lawrence, E., Sides, J., & Farrell, H. (2010). Self-segregation or deliberation? Blog readership, participation, and polarization in American politics. Perspectives on Politics, 8(1), 141-157.

Lindqvist, E., & Östling, R. (2010). Political polarization and the size of government. American Political Science Review, 104(3), 543-565.

Tesler, M. (2012). The spillover of racialization into health care: How President Obama polarized public opinion by racial attitudes and race. American Journal of Political Science, 56(3), 690-704.