Polarization and progress in US politics

The divisions in American society have grown to record levels in recent years, the result of a process of polarization that has taken place faster than in other democracies. We have heard a lot about “populism,” “tribalism,” and in general the notion that cooperation across different groups is becoming impossible. In US politics, personal attacks, demonization, and violent attitudes have permeated many areas of debate. People don’t trust the other side, and this generates a vicious circle where politicians find themselves locked into a more adversarial approach, in which reasonable dialogue becomes more difficult.

The divisions in American society have grown to record levels in recent years, the result of a process of polarization that has taken place faster than in other democracies. We have heard a lot about “populism,” “tribalism,” and in general the notion that cooperation across different groups is becoming impossible. In US politics, personal attacks, demonization, and violent attitudes have permeated many areas of debate. People don’t trust the other side, and this generates a vicious circle where politicians find themselves locked into a more adversarial approach, in which reasonable dialogue becomes more difficult.

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Joe Biden was elected president one year ago, with a margin of victory of 7 million votes, but the results of the 2020 election were still a shock to those who thought that the Republican Party would be widely rejected due to the unpalatable personality and methods of Donald Trump. Sure, enough people abandoned Trump to keep him from being re-elected (although just 43,000 votes across three states could have shifted the Electoral College), but the Republicans did better than expected in Congress, and are almost certain to regain control of at least the House of Representatives in next year’s mid-terms.