Americans have become increasingly politically polarized in recent decades, after years of two major political parties that were both traditionally moderate. A political scientist at the University at Buffalo suggests polarization is here to stay and the real challenge is achieving a mutual respect.
James Campbell, Professor of Political Science at UB, explores the political divide in his book, Polarized: Making Sense of a Divided America. Campbell says for many decades, both the Democratic and Republican parties had their own respective spectra of liberals and conservatives.
That changed in the 1960s.
"The pressure was on to have more ideologically consistent parties," Campbell said. "Those sort of anomalies took some time to work out and get those realigned."
Campbell contends that it wasn't the political parties which led the polarization but rather it was the people, with the parties reacting to that increasing split.
Further dividing people politically, he suggests, are a wide range of media that are reaching out to specific audiences.
"There's more mediating institutions including the news organizations that tend to cater to those constituencies," Campbell said. "It creates the impression on both sides that their views are more popular than they really are."
There have been numerous moments in American history when people have stopped considering themselves liberal or conservative and consider themselves Americans first. Those moments, Campbell said, include World War II, the Great Depression and 9/11. But his forecast is for Americans to remain in a state of polarization in the long term.
The challenge, as he sees it, is achieving a greater sense of peaceful coexistence.
"This is not evil versus good," he said. "It's people with different perspectives who are Americans first, who are citizens first, and are trying to do the right thing. There has to be some mutual respect built.
"Certainly in the current climate that's difficult to do."
