Its a question we look at repeatedly in various sections in 2305 (primarily). The standard argument is that gerrymandered districts - which guarantee that a member of one of the two dominant parties will win the general election - are the primary cause of the increased polarization we've seen in the House recently. But this is a controversial point. Some pretty bright folks say that this is a simplification. For a look at this question by the folks who run The Money Cage click
here, and
here, and
here. This
Washington Post article also touches on the question.
But the argument persists, and here's the
latest about it according to the Dish. An emerging idea is that polarization begins with natural ideological divisions within the nation, and these are cemented by gerrymandered districts.
Anyway, this was all really an excuse to post the following fancy graph:
