Analysis like this bores me even when it is accompanied by comforting charts.
The polarization resulting from the 2010 Midterms is fundamentally different and more worrisome than what had preceded it. By historical standards, the post-war era stands out as a period of relatively low partisan polarization. This is largely attributable to the coalition between Northern and Southern Democrats. The increase in polarization during the 103rd through 105th Congress corresponds to the tail end of the Southern partisan realignment, a period during which southern districts that had traditionally elected moderate Democrats (a.k.a. Dixiecrats) began electing conservative Republicans. As the Southern Democrats gradually disappeared throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the parties became more clearly defined, thus returning congressional polarization to the historical norm.
The hollowing out of the political center explained the momentous rise in polarization during the Southern realignment. Now that only a handful of moderates remain in the House, polarization can no longer be portrayed as a story of vanishing moderates. It appears the rise of the extremists has stepped up as the driving force behind congressional polarization.
Here’s what I want to know. Name ten Democratic members of Congress who are radical. Find me ten Democrats who don’t believe in evolution, or who don’t believe in climate change, or who think that the president might not be an American citizen, or who think the president wants to euthanize your grandma. Find ten Democrats who want to turn the United States into a Soviet Socialist Republic. Find me ten Democrats who want to do anything far outside of the mainstream. You might find ten in favor of a political system more akin to Canada’s or the United Kingdom’s, but how radical is that, really? How does wanting single-payer health care compare for crazy with freaking out about the ready availability of contraception and the stubborn persistence of masturbation?
Tell me, who’s the freaking radical here?
You want to know what happened? All the loonies left our party. That’s what happened. We deradicalized ourselves. We got rid of the socialists and the segregationists. The Republicans are an extremely radical party, and you can put that on a chart and stuff it in your hat.
