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You should carefully read his definition of "polarization". It has an exact meaning that is objectively measurable: it's how often individual politicians vote a
by Analemma_ 10y ago
You should carefully read his definition of "polarization". It has an exact meaning that is objectively measurable: it's how often individual politicians vote against the majority vote of their party. It does not refer to the amount of animosity between the parties or the extremeness of their positions. Part of his thesis is that these two measurements are now moving together, and were not necessarily doing so before.
- hga 10y agoI suppose I should, but in that case I think it's something of a redefinition of the word and less than useful. Especially since you have to, for example, factor in strength of party discipline methods. For example, expect a great discontinuity when the Senate started being selected by popular vote instead of by each state's legislature.