Polarization, populism, and erosion of democracy are all occurring. It Is important then to look at the relationship between these three things, and their potential to cause further issues. As I hope I made clear in my discussion of polarization there is a real threat to democracy that exists when people are not able to be held accountable. Polarization on its own caused the issues of gerrymandering and voter id laws that were discussed above, but more important than that is the relationship between polarization within government and populism. According to Liebermann “hyperpolarization magnifies tendencies for the partisan capture of institutions that are supposed to exercise checks and balances, but may instead be translated into unaccountable …show more content…
This grafting of autocratic behavior onto one of the two major parties potentially undermines democratic norms in ways that neither populism nor polarization could do on their own” (Lieberman, 8). American democracy was not meant to thrive on a polarized system, George Washington warned about a two-party system, and Ginsburg and Huq also point out that the emergence of this system had “reshaped incentives” of politicians (Huq and Ginsburg 2017, 12). Polarization also allows a populist to take root, and act without fear of repercussions. The fact that, as Kuhn puts it, “… much of the white working class decided that Mr. Trump could be a jerk. Absent any other champion, they supported the jerk they thought was more on their side — that is, on the issues that most concerned them.” (Kuhn, 2) goes to show that polarization can promote populist leaders, and keep the masses from voting against them, as resistance means the other side would win. This same mentality described above has kept conservative minded individuals from speaking up when Trump attacks the media or federal judges, and it will likely even keep conservative minded individuals from speaking up when Trump does something concrete like expand libel laws to silence journalists. This same process could potentially play out on the …show more content…
As shown above Trump’s decision are approved of by most Republicans giving them little reason to protest. Articles like those by Chartwell Patrick Hughes only serve to alienate Trump voters, and makes the issue partisan by calling out “modern conservatives” saying, “...we should reflect on who modern conservatives really are.” (Hughes). The entire article uses an Us vs. you structure which alienates people who voted for Trump shaming them for doing it, while claiming to understand why they did it. The article is written condescendingly, and is a prime example of the type of resistance against democratic erosion that only serves to entrench people into their respective sides. No one changes their mind while being lectured or threatened. If resistance to erosion continues to deepen partisanship, rather than breach it, then the possibility of democratic erosion will only increase, and the current safeguards that are working will be further
In the very early 1890s, a union of farmers, workers, and middle class protestors established an autonomous political party called people's party, likewise referred to as the Populist Party. This political party was the outcome of a broad social movement that materialized in reaction to wrenching modifications in the American economy as well as society. In the years after the Civil warfare, the telegraph and telephone suggested that info that had actually taken weeks or months to move throughout continents and oceans now moves at the rate of electric current. The telecoms transformation made the world a much smaller sized location (today we call it globalization). It likewise enabled massive business through railway companies and various other huge and key businesses. Business power expanded tremendously, permitting business execs to generate high income fortunes, while difficult times continued for enarly everybody else. Americans had actually never ever experienced such a divide in between the have and havenots.
After the civil war, especially during the late 1800s, the US industrial economy has been thriving and booming which reflected on the numerous improvements that occurred in transportation through new railroad, in new markets for new invented goods and in the increased farm yield. However, most of this wealth has been captured by the capitalists, they looked down on the working poor class and expected them to submit to them. Also, they had control over the government seeking to maintain a system of monopoly to allow them to grow richer from others. Thus, they were controlling both political and economic conditions of the country.
In her article, Page first demonstrates how American citizens believe they are the last people to blame for America’s separation and division of people. She then outlines how American citizens are truly the ones to blame for polarization due to their
Many Americans are aware of the polarization that exists within them and within the government. However, people do not realize the extent of the polarization and the effect that it has on government functions. Susan Page, author of “Divided We Now Stand” explains that many Americans are aware of the increasing polarization, when a political party influences the stance of a person, and that citizens believe that polarization influence politicians more than it influence them. However, Page argues that voters are to blame as well. She uses a survey to illustrate the choices that Americans make on a certain policy. The results of the survey show that Democrats and Republicans choose the stance of their political party, regardless of their own personal opinions on the actual policy (Page). Page’s point proves that politicians are not the only ones that contribute to the government’s dysfunction, and that voters might want to re-evaluate how they process their information and their choices if they wish to see a change.
Populism was formed in the year 1892. Back then Americans had reasons why to be against the government. Populism is concerns or helping of ordinary people. Even though the populist party was finished. The idea of populism still kept on going.I believe populism was a success, populism is still used today.
In the late 1800’s, America’s farmers faced deep financial insecurity with the fall of agricultural prices that kept them in poverty. Many farmers borrowed money from merchants and banks, and when it came time to repay their loans, they found themselves in the face of losing their land. Their financial troubles mainly attributed to the high freight rates that railroads charged the farmers in order to transport their crops, as well as high interest rates charged by loaners. This financial turmoil lead to the development of the Farmers’ Alliance, which advocated for lower interest rate loans by the Federal Government itself, so that way the farmers didn’t have to depend on independent banks and merchants for financial assistance. The Farmers’ Alliance eventually gained traction in politics and eventually formed itself into the People’s Party, or otherwise known as the Populist Party.
4. Many argue that partisan polarization has led to dysfunction within Congress and between Congress and the president. What are the sources of polarization? How does polarization influence the development and implementation of public policy? Provide evidence from the lectures and scholarly literature (see Thurbers chapter on this) and examples from recent policy debate.
Polarization in the United States today exists on two levels: polarization in the electorate and polarization in the elite. While separate, these two groups are perpetually intertwined. Polarization in the electorate refers to the movement of voters toward ideological extremes, and the ideological gap between voters on either side has been increasing in recent decades (Kuo). A study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2014 confirms the proliferation of polarization in the electorate: it found that since 1994, voters agree more intensely with their party’s policies and view the policies of the opposing party as a “threat to the nation’s well being” (“Political Polarization”). One factor that has led to this increase is the utilization of new technologies by the media, which allow voters to access more information than ever before. This broad scope of available information allows the public to be selective in what they consume (Kuo). As a result, many people participate in confirmation bias, meaning they seek out sources that share their beliefs; this strengthens their preexisting opinions and their level of partisanship. Another factor that increases political polarization in the electorate is geography. Republican voters tend to live in suburbs or rural areas, while Democrat voters are more likely to live in urban areas (Kuo). These geographic boundaries impact polarization because
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Polarization is defined as the “division into two opposites”. (Merriam-Webster) Political Polarization refers to the perceived division of ideologies espoused between the two major political parties in the United States. The topic of political polarization is one frequently referenced in the media and in political discussions. Does political polarization actually exist or is it a myth? In this paper, this question will be analyzed and examined and a conclusion will be reached.
Trump administration is becoming more dominant than others major corporation. However, I believe that the U.S citizens do not have a word of their own opinion. In order to have a voice or an opinion, its must require being very wealthy or own a major corporation. No doubt President Donald Trump is building an Autocracy government for an example in the article "Washington issued a temporary restraining order freezing enforcement of Trump’s immigrant and refugee ban"(1) this shows the example of what kind of power the president have. According to the constitution, Donald Trump is violating the rights of Muslims because of their religion, President Trump has a sensation that all Muslims are bad.
According to Webster a leader is something that leads, which is not very descriptive considering the word lead is in the word leader. If you look further to find out the true meaning, to lead means to guide on a way especially by going in advance, to direct on a course or in a direction, or to serve as a channel for. You can interpret it many ways, you can think of it as in a person leading people in a direction of where to go, or something that isn’t alive, such as a a pipe can lead the water in and out of the house. In all cases, a leader is a crucial aspect to the function of the system. Now most people have participated in an activity before, whether it be a sport, band or club.
Despite the many crises that the United States has faced historically, democracy has persisted. However, this is not to say that the system is secure or deeply rooted. In fact, based on the events of recent decades, it has been weakening. In How Democracies Die, Levitsky and Ziblatt provide examples of how American democracy has exemplified the positive and negative aspects of other global democracies of the past and present. Although the US is exceptional in some ways, with its longstanding democratic institutions and diverse population, it is more similar to others than different. Thus, the idea that few parallels can be drawn to other nations is disproven. The process of comparing each state is analogous to that of differentiating between
There are many theories as to how or why political polarization was formed, and the impact it has on government in modern day. Polarization has varied significantly over the years ever since the 1970’s. However, what is the true cause and can it be explained? This paper will discuss some theories on how political polarization came about, and analyzes some accounts of polarization overall. Defining political polarization is vital into developing an understanding of how or why it was initially formed.
WOW! We were zipping through the darkness, on the fastest roller coaster in Disneyland,THE MOUNTAIN OF DOOM, at first ,I was terrified (No really I was going to jump of my pants)to go on the ride some guy got his hands cut off[like omg], and for a long time I was terrified. Now, I was on the most fantastic ride in Disney. Finally ,I can brag to my friends. After, I got off me and my mom got some corn dogs and Ice cream,and it was so cold and Delishis, butt out know where one of the seagulls got my Ice cream I was so mad I tried to catch the bird and then BAM it flew away.
Fires on the Plain is truly the most depressing, haunting, and sad story I have ever endured reading. The complete abandonment of the Japanese soldiers on the island of Leyte by the Japanese Army is revolting, as well as the complete disregard for each others well being among them. It becomes a battle between one another for survival. The lack of comradery among the Japanese soldiers is dumbfounding, and leads me to believe that it may very well have been there demise. The weaknesses we see in Tamura and the other soldiers not only have a great impact on their unfortunate outcome, but are also a result of a weakness within the Japanese Army itself. The awful fate of these soldiers, at the hands of their