Political Polarization in American Politics

1. Political Polarization in American Politics Chapters 10 - 17

2. David Leip’s Atlas of Election Results. 2016 Popular vote as of 16 November 2016

3. David Leip’s Atlas of Election Results 2012

5. 2012 County Map – Obama vs. Romney

6. The Economist Magazine

7. The New York Times

8. Size of Lead: New York Times

9. 48D -- 52R (After LA Runoff)

10. 193D – 242R After two Run Offs in LA and counting one R ahead (Issa, R-CA)

11. Jeff Stonecash • Chapter 10: The Two Key Factors Behind our Polarized Politics • 1. Fundamental Disagreements about what and how government should do. • 2. A long-term realignment brought this debate into sharp focus. Namely the movement of Southern Democrats into the Republican Party.

18. Stonecash

19. Francis Lee • Chapter 11: American politics is more competitive than ever, and that is making partisanship worse. • 1. The period most similar to the 1980 – Now is the “Gilded Age” 1876 – 1896 – both are periods of close and alternating party majorities, as well as of fierce party conflict. • 2. Competition for power, not only ideological polarization, contributes to our confrontational contemporary politics (this is a distinction without a difference).

20. Lee

26. Alan Abramowitz • Chapter 12: How Race and Religion have Polarized American Voters • 1. Mass Polarization is largely due to the fact that Democratic and Republican elected officials represent electoral coalitions that differ sharply in their social characteristics and political orientations. • 2. The population is increasingly non-White. • 3. There are deep differences between religious and non-religious people.

27. Abramowitz

28. Abramowitz

29. Abramowitz

30. Hans Noel • Chapter 13: How ideological activists constructed our polarized parties. • 1. Distinguishes “liberal-conservative” conflict with modern day division – First Dimension is best understood as Regulation of the Economy. • 2. Second Dimension captures divisions (usually regional) within one or both Political Parties.

33. The 16th Amendment: Allowed Taxes on Income Ratified 3 February 1913

34. The 17th Amendment: The Popular Election of Senators Ratified 8 April 1913

35. The 18th Amendment: Banning Intoxicating Liquors Ratified 16 January 1919

36. The 19th Amendment: The Right of Women to Vote. Ratified on 26 August 1920

45. Andrew Gelman • Chapter 14: How better educated whites are driving political polarization • 1. He is only concerned with Abortion. This limits his analysis considerably.

46. Gelman

47. Gelman

48. Gelman

50. Matthew Levendusky • Chapter 15: Are Fox and MSNBC polarizing America? See Arceneaux and Johnson and Stroud and Curry in American Gridlock