I think this is a great analysis. One factor I would add to both your comment and about the political divide in general is earmarks. Eliminating earmarks (polit

I think this is a great analysis. One factor I would add to both your comment and about the political divide in general is earmarks. Eliminating earmarks (political "pork" in bills) seems like a great way to eliminate wasteful spending. Except now we're in a situation where many of our representatives and senators can't point to a new bridge and say "I'm the reason we have that, now re-elect me" so they move to culture war issues as a way to fire up the base. This effect, combined with gerrymandering for House seats, means that the only thing many politicians have to fear is a primary fight. In an effort to avoid primary challengers, the Democrats and Republicans both ran to the right, leaving us where we are now: Biden, a Republican by 1960s standards, is painted as a "radical socialist" against all evidence, because it turns out the base, because there's literally nothing else for politicians to offer to their constituents. I've heard rumblings that earmarks might be coming back and I really hope they do.