Political polarization tore the United States

The core reading

A recent study by the pew research center reported that since the 1990 s, the American people for the government supervision, environmental protection, and many other issues more opposing attitude, Democrats and republicans in the role of government, race, differences and opposition of the immigration problems also reached the highest point in history. Analyzes believed that the American political polarization, social division is not confined to the two parties fight inside the Capitol, the whole society in recent years, the crowd of different ethnic groups and different political views of "split", has become a big dilemma facing the United States.

"Government failure" --

Serious confrontation lead to political paralysis in Washington

The pew research center's comments said, "American society of the division of the basic political values reached unprecedented levels in the Obama administration, and in the first year of trump's government intensified".

The President of the United States on January 30, the state of the union speech trump, present the wildly differing reactions of bipartisan has become the focus of the public opinion, and even appeared in the social media expression "package" of lawmakers from both parties. Commented that the New York times under the political reality of division, how to clap also become members of a "problem".

The financial times analysis that Washington is running "failure" reflects the growing split - American society between white and non-white, between urban and rural, between young people and old people. "There is no trust between people," republican senator lindsey graham said the "most americans don't trust anyone of us." Trust evaporated is eroding the western politics, the problem in the United States the most "toxic".

American political scientist Francis fukuyama believes that America has become a "veto regime", division of powers and checks and balances mutate to veto "politics", the two parties is more ideological, if the two main parties reach a consensus, will lead to political paralysis. And political framework in the United States, between the White House, congress, the Supreme Court can contain each other, only in the case of a consensus to function efficiently.

Political height division caused by the federal government "failure", this year the re-emergence of the federal government agencies on January 20, the lockout is the consequences of political divisions. Both parties issues using a force each other to make concessions, even shut down the government institutions. This drama has been more than once in Washington.

Is not just a "closed" government, political opposition also caused the government constantly changing. To address climate change in this issue, for example, the government announced a trump to exit the global response to climate change, the Paris agreement the international outcry. The us government not only stance in dealing with the issue of climate change "inversion", in the medical insurance, energy development, immigration policy on issues such as, after the next government rejected the previous government's policy has become the norm.

Social division --

"Close, and no compromise"

In addition to the federal government governance "failure", states in the federal policy negative response is also a product of the political fragmentation, reflects the degree of social divisions. Some liberal majority of states do not obey the federal government decrees, some city claim they can resist the federal government's immigration law. California's senate passed a bill that does not allow the state to do business with any companies involved in the construction of the border wall, the government announced his retirement from trump after the Paris agreement, the decision of the state announced that they will ignore Washington, an executive to address climate change policy.

American public opinion believe that American society has divided into two parts, part of the focus in the United States, 3000 counties in 146, mainly distributed in coastal areas, 1/10 of the area of the country. Another part of the distribution of vast inland areas in the United States, the two regions in geography, culture, economy, politics, society has a big difference.

George mason university professor Samuel lehi, in an interview with our reporter, the so-called "davos man" the coast of the things with the edge of the Midwest and rural areas are relatively conservative groups have very big difference. American society is deeply divided, is currently divided evenly on both sides, and each other is not compromise, the troubled U.S. political opposition will continue.

And political fragmentation let society was more sensitive topics such as race. Amina is an African, husband is white, lives in Arlington county, Virginia, one time to see her daughter, her friend is freely praise: "the baby is so beautiful, looks really like you, it seems that your genes are more powerful." Amina very seriously say: "I know we are good friends, of course, you also have no malicious. But still remind you to pay attention to the words can't say there are racial overtones, especially under the background of the current political."

Senior fellow at the brookings institution, di ernie analysis in an interview with our reporter, intensifying political fragmentation is the cause of all-round, the first is the income gap widening, atrophy of the middle class, lead to moderate voice is abate, extreme ideological, political polarization serious. Increasingly "ideology", the two parties to reach a compromise more difficult, it is rare in history, many observers now the current compared to the United States and the United States before the civil war, is the embodiment of the disunity. In addition, the amplification effect of social media, trump political figures such as controversial remarks are not conducive to heal political differences.

People uncomfortable --

"Nobody cannot ignore the consequences of a political divide"

American society can divide rapidly from a series of polls reflected in the data. In 2017, 66% of Democrats think government regulation helps to protect the public interest, only 31% of republicans who hold this view. 71% of Democrats and 24% of republicans believe the government should help people who need help, in 1994, the figures were 58% and 38% respectively. Also, on immigration, in 2017, 84% of Democrats and 42% of republicans think immigrants introduced in America's interest, in contrast, in 2003 of Democrats and republicans were 47% and 46%, respectively, to show that the two parties has widened stance on the issue of obvious differences.

Divided American society is not only reflected in the Numbers, it's more than Washington's political game every day, more profoundly affects the ordinary people's life. American country music artist, for instance, mostly republicans, rock artists are Democrats, media, university is more liberal. Conservatives increasingly in recent years in the university campus to brush "presence", trumpeting conservative values, cause in the campus, there are even violence.

Catherine is a retired doctor, lives in Virginia, she told our reporter: "because of the opposition, I have a feeling is obvious, to express their views openly now is not as easy as before, because no matter what you say, what is the point of view, will give you label someone, especially in social media. Nobody can ignore the political consequences of division."

More make many americans feel anxious, because a lot of family members support different political figures, hold different political views become distant. Every year, Thanksgiving is the American people gathering time in recent years more tips for a Thanksgiving, don't talk about sensitive political and social news with his family.

According to the survey, 65% of republicans want to live in a big house in the rural areas, schools, supermarkets, restaurants in just a few miles away, some 61% of Democrats said house small it doesn't matter, want to walk can get education and other essential public services. The journal of the American national review recently commented that hold different political position of people read different books, listen to different music, watching different programs, or even have different traditional festivals. , jocelyn keeley, deputy director of the pew research center said, "on some clearly has nothing to do with political problems have appeared in political divide, reflects the deep division" of American politics.