Skip to main content

Problem with Polarization


Mary Leonard


Political polarization has been growing at a rapid rate among government officials. Congress has been edging further and further apart, which does not accurately represent the views of the general population which remains fairly unpolarized. However, the media skews this and makes people think that the public is more polarized than it actually is by picking and prodding at only certain people at certain times. Polarization in Congress can be extremely harmful to the processes. The most recent Congresses are some of the most ineffective in history and have passed through very little instrumental legislation. It appears that they spend more time fighting each other than actually agreeing to pass legislation through. This is because polarization has caused strongly opposing ideals that don’t allow any room for leniency or compromise. The legislative branch therefore neglects legislation.
The graph below shows the fluctuations in polarization through the years. During times of war, it appears that the party mean was much lower than in the latter parts of both the 19th and 20th centuries. Currently, the distance is the highest it’s ever been, meaning that the bipartisan polarization is the furthest apart. From here on out, it seems that the mean with just keep increasing if no drastic change is made. (Lewis 2019)

A possible answer to the issue of growing polarization may lie within the scope of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This committee has taken steps to fix some of the problems that have been developing in Congress, including “increasing civility and collaboration, and improving the budget process” (Reklatis 2019). When Congress works together, or at least sees the view from the other side, more legislation gets passed, which makes collaboration a vital focal point.
Jennifer Victor, a professor at Virginia’s George Mason University, believes that a way of fixing the polarization problem would be by creating a Facebook platform where Democrats and Republicans could talk (Reklatis 2019). Along with this, she thinks that seats should be mixed up on the House floor (Reklatis 2019). Another suggestion by a representative was that there should be a bipartisan retreat for the legislative branch, as was done in 1990 (Reklatis 2019). Helping the representatives get to know each other better would help facilitate them working together on a day to day basis. The two houses need to realize that even though they have different ideals, they’re still on the same United States Government team. It is almost as if they have forgotten that the original purpose of the Legislative branch was to pass and amend legislation to better the lives of the citizens. The former Virginia Republican Representative, Tom Davis, said that whichever party that is the same as the president’s is just “an appendage of the executive branch”, and the minority is not the minority party, but instead the opposition party (Reklatis 2019).
The Market Watch article also discusses how there is trouble with retention in both Congress and jobs that assist it. It has been proposed that they pay staffers more so that they will stay longer and not switch over to higher paying jobs. Along with this, “raising the cap on the number of staff in member offices” would mean that offices are able to pay their employees more (Reklatis 2019). The longer people stay in their jobs, the better they tend to become at them. This, although not specified to polarization, would help create more stability in Congress; which may therefore help with unity and moving legislation through. 


Lewis, Jeff. Vote View. August 14, 2019. “Polarization in Congress.” Date Accessed, October
                            15, 2019. https://www.voteview.com/articles/party_polarization

Reklatis, Victor. Market Watch. October 8, 2019. “Meet the Committee on Capitol Hill That’s
Trying to Make Congress Great Again.” Date Accessed, October 15, 2019.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/meet-the-committee-on-capitol-hill-thats-trying-to make-congress-great-again-2019-10-04?mod=capitol-report

Comments

  1. Bridget MurphyOctober 18, 2019 at 2:26 PM

    I think you provide an insightful look into how polarization affects Congress’ effectiveness at passing legislation. It’s interesting in your graph that during times of recent wars, such as World War II and our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the gap between the House and the Senate distances widen. I think you do a nice job providing new and interesting information: I didn’t even know there was a committee on modernizing Congress and that there are issues with retaining staffers who might consider switching to higher-paying jobs.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TABOR & Proposition CC: Providing Context to Colorado's Tax Problem

Edward Baisley Prof. Matthew Hitt POLS 304 Dec. 2019 Blog Post 3 (TABOR and Proposition CC) Colorado's tax system is very unique in comparison to pretty much every other state in the U.S. Arguably the biggest aspect of the tax system that is unique is the amendment to the Colorado Constitution known as TABOR or the Tax Payers Bill of Rights. This amendment which was drafted into law in 1992, has many implications for Colorado's state and local governments. One of the main implications is that TABOR requires the state and local governments of Colorado to acquire voter approval before any tax increase can be implemented. Some other more less known implications are detailed by Denver Post author Anna Staver, she explains that TABOR: “ Limits how many tax dollars governments can keep … It’s called the TABOR cap, anything a government collects above the cap gets returned as a TABOR tax refund … (TABOR) Limits when lawmakers can ask voters to raise taxe...
1 comment
Read more

The Flawed American Electoral System

A free and fair election is one that is inclusive to all of the population. A democratic state requires active citizen participation to ensure equal representation. The framers of the constitution originally wanted the United States government to only be governed by educated white men. It was not until 1920 that the 19th amendment was passed that allowed white females to vote in America. Then it was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that allowed African-Americans the right to vote freely. There were many amendments and reforms throughout history that has changed our election system. Different changes to state election process will ensure an equitable election system. This is a highly debated legislative issue that goes back and forth for the past decade and into the 2020 election. It is crucial for such a powerful and free country to protect its proud democratic values.  There are still issues with the American election systems. There are a lot of holes in represe...
1 comment
Read more

The Ballot Initiative in Colorado

    One of the most distinctive features of the legislative process in Colorado is the prevalence of the ballot initiative. In the election this November, voters had the opportunity to approve their own laws. One of these laws included a proposition that would legalize sports betting.     This is not the first time that voters have had the ability to make hugely influential decisions. Voters have voted to legalize marijuana. In Colorado, they even approve tax increases because of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR. This means that, unlike in other states, Colorado voters have legislative power of their own.      One of these most recent initiatives involved sports betting. Colorado would legalize sports betting, but sports betting would be taxed. This revenue would be used to fund plans to address Colorado's water problem. However, according to the Colorado Sun, the money from sports betting will not generate any money to address these water iss...
Post a Comment
Read more