Benefits Of Polarization

1181 Words5 Pages
Devante Wheeler 107754143 Polarization: A Healthy American Democracy POL 32401 American Political Parties and Pressure Groups Professor Jeremiah Garretson Political Polarization occurs when the factions of government diverge and goes to the extremes. The American political system has been subject to change in order to develop a better democracy. Fifty years polarization was uncommon due to the amount of different parties that were present within the political system. In our modern system polarization will help with the progression towards a better democracy. Polarization is a healthy choice for the American Democracy because it helps clarify the legislative process while creating party discipline, presents clear choices…show more content…
Given that most voters are misinformed and political uneducated, a polarized democracy helps voters better understand who they giving their support to. Voters will better relate with a party if they have solid extreme values, opposed to a party that moves towards the middle in attempt to attract new voters. The public becomes more invested in the beliefs of the party. Voters also engage in supporting the campaigns by donating or even putting a yard sign up. Action like those, help promote and increase political awareness in communities. Polarization can also benefit activist that want to get involved with politics. With parties that are extreme in what they stand for, it is also easier for activist to be able to choose which side they want to represent. A polarized democracy can have an enormous effect on the America…show more content…
Opposition argues that legislation that gets passed can be too one sided or bias. Francis Lee cites teamsmanship as one of the big negatives of polarization. Teamsmanship is a theory that polarization causes parties to view the legislative process as a battle to win roll votes against the opposite party. Lee believes that teamsanship will ultimately lead to the lost of merit in polices. Teamsmanship is not a produce of polarization. With a huge investment in party platform, the image of the party is a key asset. In a polarized democracy representatives worry very little about the opposing party. The more constant they are with the party values the more approval they receive. People attempt to argue that polarization promotes the creation of safe seats within the House of Representatives. People state that through polarization the stress is removed from officials that dominate their district races constantly. They say a level of comfort is created with officials knowing that the main opposition with often come from within their party. This allows both sides to put the incentive on the base, rather than trying to appeal to the center. The removal of the moderate is key for democracy to thrive. Candidate will be able to focus on key issues, instead of trying to convert voters. Candidates that attempt to appeal to the middle generally flip flop on policies that they once
Open Document