Manifestations, Causes And Consequences Of Partisan Polarization In Contemporary United States

Nowadays partisan polarization has become one of the fundamentalcharacteristics of the political system of the United States. The thesis sets out toprovide analyses of the main manifestations, causes and possible consequences ofpartisan polarization.Its manifestations are listed as follows. The ideological overlap between the twoparties in Congress has almost disappeared, along with moderates. The innerhomogeneity and cohesiveness of the parties have increased markedly. Partlybecause of the party sorting of the mass electorate, there is a partisan geographicdivide between red states and blue states, and a religious fissure between the mostand the least religious voters.The thesis mainly attributes such polarization to a combination of several factors,including the realignment of the parties and voters since the1960s, the influence ofredistricting and party primaries, the rise of morally and culturally charged politics,as well as economic disparities.Partisan polarization may affect the character of the legislative process inCongress, which in turn undermines Congress’s lawmaking capabilities and producesmore policy gridlock. It may also pervert interbranch relations inside the governmentas designed by the Constitution, cause more turbulence in U.S. foreign policy andeven erode public trust in government institutions. The impact of partisanpolarization on the American political process should not be underestimated.