Political Polarization and Its Effects on The American Government

Political Polarization and Its Effects on The American Government

Introduction

The American government is highly divergent. Almost all politicians and the general public have personal stances which depend on ideologies or particular political party. Differences in ideologies dictate the political party chosen. The U.S has two political parties, namely; Democrat and Republican party. The doctrines are liberals, conservatives and moderates. Pew Research Center claims that American political parties today have continuously growing gap between Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. These political parties were built on different ideologies with the same goal of making American peoples’ lives better. In 1972, most Americans were moderates who believed in both democrats and republicans. The rest were split between liberals who were democrats and conservatives who were republicans. Political differences resulting from presidential elections can lead to political polarization. Through a thorough analysis of the presidential candidate’s ideologies, the public tends to choose which political party to support. Demographics in terms of differences in age, income and the residential area also bring forth political polarization. Different generations have different ideologies. Recently, there is an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor. This difference brings diversity in political classes. Residents in the urban areas are liberals, moderates and conservatives. However, those residing in rural areas differ in education and ideologies making polarization inevitable.

Polarization can be reduced by being democratic through participation in the election. The prevailing political environment currently is highly polarized as compared to previous decades. This has been facilitated by political leaders, for example, President Donald Trump, who continuously label the media as “the enemy of the people.” This has triggered and strengthened the dynamics of polarized politics, where the republicans view democrats as their rivals. The Americans should not blindly follow such political ideologies. They should, however, be aware of the psychological and political effects of polarization and the sigs of democratic erosion. In order to change polarization in the current and future political systems, Americans should participate in elections. They should be against demonizing politics and actively vote against politicians with polarizing methods.

The political leaders and aspiring politicians can also help in reducing political polarization. They should voice their views cautiously and publicly act in a way that with help alleviate severe polarization. Their focus should be on broader perspectives like society’s welfare and collective interest rather than winning. They should also advocate against polarization because it blocks cooperation in solving problems. In so doing, the political leaders will help cross the divide amongst political parties as opposed to reciprocating polarizing strategies.

The government can function despite political polarization by encouraging a more deliberate process in congress. Since polarization damages meaningful debate, members of Congress should take responsibility and enact severe changes. Congressional voting procedures, committee assignments and rules should be changed to produce an open and more responsive process. These changes should authorize minority participation in conference committees. Institutional mechanisms should be introduced to increase the time allocated to congress for the deliberations. The current routine can be changed to allow congress to work more days per week or their schedule be altered to include two full weeks for holding debates and two weeks off. More bipartisan commissions should be created to handle long-term problems that both republicans and democrats deny sole responsibility.

Increasing citizen participation in the democratic process like elections could reduce polarization. Many moderates and independent voters have weak party affiliations, and they are less involved during elections. Their increased participation in the democratic process may also influence candidates towards bipartisan coalitions and working out compromises. Improving voter turnout also reduces polarization. This is achieved through such measures as allowing registration during election day, mandatory voting and electronic voting. More voter turnout increases the number of partisans and moderates, thereby minimizing polarization. Greater citizen participation in local politics equips them with more skills in active political participation. This makes them embrace the non-polarized approach to politics. They may in-turn demand similar principles from their elected leaders.

The media is a vital platform that can be used in reducing political polarization. However, this approach is partly unconstitutional since it goes against freedom of speech. Accurate and balanced news can be rewarded as an incentive to encourage the media against information that can otherwise increase polarization. Many Americans rely on the media in making their political decisions, and that makes it crucial as a means of reducing polarization.

More centrists should be added in congress to bridge the gap between democrats and republicans. These centrists carry out negotiations about relevant compromises which will assist in reversing polarization. Having more moderates on the ballot increases the chances of their election, which will ultimately reduce the influence exerted by strong partisans and large campaign donors. The moderate members are highly favoured by competitive congressional districts. These districts create a balanced composition than non-competitive districts. Redrawing boundaries and having representatives for more extensive geographical regions helps in creating more competitive districts. Use of closed rules in congress should also be limited to ensure that both parties have maximum representation on conference committees.

There should also be a shift of emphasis of partisan polarization from cause, characteristics and dimensions to consequences. This will help in embracing the strength of America’s political system. Success in eliminating polarization is only possible if the leaders and politicians will find a middle ground in their differences. Respecting the opinions of the different groups and engaging them in debates towards the establishment of a common goal strengthens coherence and helps in reducing the avoidable consequences of polarization.

In America, there has been a lot of efforts from moderate ideologies to be independent. These efforts include institutional reforms aimed at reducing polarization by focusing on decentralizing political powers and altering electoral rules. Moderate platforms have been promoted through political party reforms. Media reforms have been initiated to combat disinformation, prevent amplification of extremist voices and establish new media platforms. There has been extensive research that aims at developing local knowledge about the problems that result from polarization and their potential solutions. Dialogue and bridging efforts between partisan divides have been effected in an attempt to foster communication and understanding.

Despite the above-mentioned efforts in trying to reduce political polarization, there has been an increasingly growing gap between the democrats and the republicans. These failures are attributed to the fact that America is a free society where people have diverse views. They have an intense commitment to culture, an ideology or to a candidate. In recent studies, there has been rising affective polarization characterized by strong personal and emotionally charged feeling about those in other political parties. A Pew study in 2014 discovered that 27% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans currently view the other part as “threat to the nation’s wellbeing.” Political polarization poses many disadvantages, including; producing policy gridlock, degrading public discussion and contributing to inequality. It also weakens the citizens’ intellect as some believe that particular racial groups are superior to others.

Conclusion

Political polarization has been part of the political system in America for many decades. The emergence of the two political parties which are democrats and republicans have promoted the polarization. These parties have different ideologies, but they were initially created with a similar goal of achieving better lives for the American people. The American people are divided into liberal, moderates and conservative ideologies. Political polarization can result from both the political leaders and the citizens who blindly support their demonizing politics. Citizens have a role to play in ending polarization by participating in democratic activities like elections. They should not avoid voting but rather be more vibrant in choosing leaders who aim at bringing forth ways of creating cohesion rather than inciting differences among different groups. Politicians should also observe their words and actions as they can have dire consequences in creating tension among citizens. The congress has a role in reducing polarization. They should be more open and inclusive of the minority groups in their conference committees. Efforts have been applied in attempts to eliminate polarization. These efforts include but not limited to, altering electoral rules and decentralizing political powers. Despite these efforts, political polarization has prevailed since there is an ever-widening gap between the democrats and the republicans. The disadvantages associated with political polarization include weakening citizens’ intellect and contributing to inequality. Citizens and political leaders should fight against polarization as it contributes to divisions that could otherwise be avoided.

References

Hare, C., & Poole, K. T. (2014). The polarization of contemporary American politics. Polity, 46(3), 411-429.

Körösényi, A. (2013). Political polarization and its consequences on democratic accountability. Corvinus Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 4(2), 3-30.

Noel, H. (2014). Political ideologies and political parties in America. Cambridge University Press.

Persily, N. (Ed.). (2015). Solutions to political polarization in America. Cambridge University Press.