Partisanship, Polarization and the Future of American Politics

The political parties in the United States may well be more divided than they have been since the Civil War. In the 112th Congress (2011-2012), 91% of Democrats and 93.5% of Republicans voted with their fellow party members on roll calls, leaving little room for the formation of bi-partisan coalitions. From 2005-2012, every Democrat in Congress was to the left of every Republican. In 2013, 1% of Republicans in the House of Representatives and 4% in the Senate were moderates: the corresponding percentages of Democrats were 13 and 9.