America grapples with deep polarization ahead of election
Following the Republican and Democratic conventions, it seems there's no shortage of vitriol from either side of the political spectrum in America. Beyond the rhetoric put forth by the parties during the conventions and throughout the 2016 presidential election, there have even been violent interactions between Republican and Democratic activists at political rallies across the country.
As political clashes continue, it appears the United States have never been more divided — and there's even research to support this separation. A study by the Pew Research Centre found that over the past 20 years, the ideological gap between Democrats and Republicans has grown.
Didi Kuo, a research associate with Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, says the tenor of this year's presidential election is "much more negative" than in previous years as a result of a culmination of trends over the past few decades.
The parties used to be closer aligned than they have been since about the 1970s when instead they started to become both more ideologically homogeneous within themselves, and also more distinct from one another.- Didi Kuo, research associate with Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
A rise in political gridlock as well as the "echo chamber" created by those seeking information, through traditional and social media, to affirm their already-held beliefs are two factors Kuo says contribute to the current polarization within the country.
Alan Schroeder, a professor at Northeastern University's School of Journalism, believes the political polarization of America is both fact and perception. While Schroeder says there's no question that recent rhetoric has a "very ugly tone," he doesn't think 20 years is a long enough period to establish whether this is natural progression or an aberration.
One of the things, watching these conventions these past couple weeks, that really struck me was the degree to which the negativity was personalized ... these are disagreements over individuals and persons, not ideologies and ideas.- Alan Schroeder, professor at Northeastern University's School of Journalism
However, Schroeder is optimistic for the future of politics in the States. Citing the "last throes of a version of America" that he says is primarily white and has an older voting demographic, Schroeder is hopeful that once the younger generation comes into power there will be more bipartisanship.
As for what can be done in the near future to decrease political polarization, both Kuo and Schroeder point to Trump's technique in garnering media attention and instilling an air of going against routine politics — but utilized with a different message. For Kuo, the answer is a centrist, while Schroeder imagines "somebody coming in with a message of hope and optimism that is able also to subvert the process."
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant, Julian Uzielli and Marc Apollonio.