Analysts and pundits increasingly perceive a widening gulf between "red states" and "blue states." Yet the research to support that perception is scattered and sometimes difficult to parse. America's polarized politics, it is said, poses fundamental dangers for democratic and accountable government. Heightened partisanship is thought to degrade deliberation in Congress and threaten the integrity of other institutions, from the courts to the media. But, how deep do the country's political divisions actually run? Are they truly wreaking havoc upon the social fabric? Has America become a house divided? This important new book, Red and Blue Nation?, gets to the bottom of this perplexing issue.
The first of two volumes cosponsored by Brookings and the Hoover Institution carefully considers the extent to which polarized views among political leaders and activists are reflected in the population at large. It pays particular attention to factors such as the increased influence of religion and the changing nature of the media. The authors show that while the severity of the country's "culture wars" is often overstated, significant fissures have opened. In Red and Blue Nation? leading journalists and scholars combine their different insights to enrich our understanding of the issue, offering thoughtful analyses of the underlying problems. This comprehensive and accessible discussion of the polarization debate will be an essential resource for policymakers, scholars, and anyone interested in the health of American public discourse.
Contributors: Alan I. Abramowitz (Emory University), David W. Brady (Hoover Institution), James Campbell (State University of New York at Buffalo), Carl Cannon (National Journal), E.J. Dionne, Jr. (Brookings Institution), Gregg Easterbrook (Brookings Institution), Thomas B. Edsall (Columbia University), Morris P. Fiorina (Hoover Institution), William A. Galston (Brookings Institution), Hahrie C. Han (Wellesley College), Gary C. Jacobson (University of California, San Diego), Andrew Kohut (Pew Research Center), Matthew Levendusky (Yale University), Thomas E. Mann (Brookings Institution), Diana C. Mutz (University of Pennsylvania), Pietro S. Nivola (Brookings Institution), Tom Rosenstiel (Project for Excellence in Journalism), and Alan Wolfe (Boston College).
Selected Chapter Summaries:
Chapter Four: Polarized by God? American Politics and the Religious Divide
Chapter Five: How the Mass Media Divide Us
Chapter Six: Polarizing the House of Representatives: How Much Does Gerrymandering Matter?
Related events and analysis:
"How Deep Is America's Political Divide," December 8, 2006.
"Do the Mass Media Divide Us?," November 28, 2006.
"The Great Divide," by William A. Galston and Pietro S. Nivola, The American Interest, November/December 2006. (Login required)
"Polarizing the House of Representatives: How Much Does Gerrymandering Matter?," October 30, 2006.
"American Politics and the Religious Divide," September 26, 2006.
Brookings Project: Red and Blue Nation