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Partisan Nation

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Partisan Nation

The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era

University of Chicago Press,

15 min read
8 take-aways
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What's inside?

American democracy is facing its kryptonite, according to two political scientists.

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8

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Recommendation

For all the strengths of America’s democracy, it’s ill-adapted to fight off the disease of hyperpartisanship. That’s the message from political scientists Paul Pierson and Eric Schickler in this sobering analysis of a political era defined by a “nationalized” form of polarization — a unique and more destructive type of partisanship than previously seen in the United States. The authors delve into the historical currents that led to today’s morass, including the 1960s racial re-sorting of political parties and the more recent decline of local news coverage. Readers trying to figure out how America got to this point will find this a thought-provoking book.

Summary

Polarization in America has reached crisis levels.

While polarization is not a new feature in US politics, the partisan divide has grown deeper since the 1980s, and it has become notably more ugly since 2000. This chasm shows itself most clearly during presidential elections: It has become customary for each party to insist that a victory by the other side would pose an existential threat to the republic. Scorched-earth tactics on both sides have replaced cross-aisle cooperation. The new, “nationalized” flavor of polarization is self-perpetuating — an expanding doom loop from which American politics can’t escape.

The US Constitution, with its deliberate separation of powers and system of checks and balances, was designed to ensure a politics of compromise. For much of its existence, the US federal government deferred to the states, and this decentralized system helped keep a damper on partisanship. So long as state parties pursued their own priorities, polarization could only gain so much purchase. Founder James Madison conceived of federalism as a way to ensure that power would be doled out among diverse interests. But ...

About the Authors

Paul Pierson is a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Winner-Take-All Politics and other books. Eric Schickler is a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Racial Realignment and other books. 

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