When did politics begin to become polarized in the US?
Obviously 25 year rule, but the reason I made this thread is because every single time my older relatives bring up politics, the first thing out of their mouths is "before the democrats and republicans hated each other"
Was it after pic related ended his second term?
I really blame identity politics truly coming into the fore and making everything deeply personal
1992 when George Senior lost reelection for giving into Congress and raising taxes. I mean the long term terms trend were already place by then l, but to me that was the first shot in the politcal Brinkmanship cannon.
removing the fairness doctrine
newt gingrich
>"before the democrats and republicans hated each other"
They always hated each other. Its just without the 24-hour news cycle it was easier to maintain the appearance of civility.
Look at the Hughes Amendment to FOPA in 1986. It was snuck in the final draft of the bill by anti-gun Democrats with no debate and passed without anyone realizing a change had been made. Doesn't seem like something people who respected their opposition would do. Same with Nixon and Watergate.
Hell, before the Civil War, we had Congressmen actually come to blows. Charles Sumner (R) was nearly beaten to death by Preston Brooks (D) right in the middle of Congress. Compared to that, the current congress is all angels.
Mass demographic change and a sluggish economy puts people at each other's throats whodda thunk it?
Back when Hamilton was advocating for a national bank
I want to say part of it coincides with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Without that great external enemy that Americans of all creeds could join ranks against the internal differences became more pronounced.
You can actually quantitatively say 1973. Why that is is still unclear.
It seems to have been a mix of the Vietnam War, Hispanic immigration pushing the Democrats to the left, talk radio/end of the fairness doctrine pushing the Republicans to the right, the Cultural Revolution of the 60s (sexual revolution, civil rights act, etc.), the "Fourth Great Awakening" in American Protestantism, the economic "great divergence" (widening of the rich-poor gap), and possibly other factors.
The New Deal. Even today you can find Republicans that call Roosevelt a tyrant, and Democrats that call him a savior.
jews turning the republican party into the neoconservative israel party and jews turning the democrat party into the communism-lite minority activists party
Nah m80, 1968 Democrat National Convention.
People are going to hate me for this, but the more multicultural a society it is, the harder it is for elections to be about "ideas", and the more they become about which racial groups deserve more or less power.
Diversity and democracy really don't go together at all, because everyone just votes for their racial group.
No, something definitely happened in 1977. I'm not just making this up. I wasn't exaggerating my post.
That is certainly part of it, no question. Federalist Papers 9 and 10 warned against political factions.
>Compared to that, the current congress is all angels.
I'd take guys beating each other up over colluding snakes any day
Jimmy Carter
Misery Index
Gas Shortages
Stagflation
18% mortgages
Pick all of them.
Add Iranian Hostage Crisis, since your chart doesn't indicate a '77 but a '79 anomaly.
Ah, excuse me, thank you.
This
...
>He thinks that Reagan's crusade against Communism was because he disliked their economic life instead of the fact the it's never voluntary.
he was talking about employees getting stock benefits you moron
not some "sieze the means" type shit