Are our elections policies fueling toxic politics? A Q&A with Lee Drutman

“Politics ain’t bean bag,” quipped the late 19th century, fictional barfly and political analyst, Mr. Dooley. That is an eternal truth about American politics, wherein combatants have deployed everything from lies to bribes to fists, clubs, and even “violent laxatives” to win office and get their way.

Yet, last year’s invasion of the Capitol along with the various riots and efforts to intimidate election administrators shocked many Americans. Is representative democracy on the ropes? Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at New America, thinks so. His book, “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop” (Oxford, 2020) argues that America is not simply having one of its heated political moments. Rather, structural factors are driving our politics into existential, identity clashes that are tearing apart our governance system. Our discussion is below.