Given the current stalemate on raising the debt ceiling, and the degree to which it might be due to the fact that neither party has any incentive to compromise with each other since they are each dominated by ideologues who have little in common with other, it makes sense to use this as background for this week's written assignment for my 2301 11 week class. We are covering political parties this week, so the topic is relevant.
I'll have the precise question on backboard soon. I want you to click on the blog tag labelled "party polarization" for background on the topic, but here are a few additional posts to help out:
- Why political polarization has gone wild in America (and what to do about it)
- Polarized America.
- Party polarization is not the same as ideological polarization.
- Can a Polarized American Party System Be “Healthy”?
- Debating the Causes of Party Polarization in America