The Importance Of Political Polarization

According to Drew Desilver, “You don’t have to look hard to see evidence of political polarization.” Just watch cable news, listen to talk radio, follow social-media debates, or eavesdrop a conversation at a coffee shop - anyone in the Unites States has seen the partisan polarization developing throughout political culture. But what causes the extreme polarization so evident in today’s society? One of the primary causes of polarization is partisan activists. Partisan activists are the individuals who knock on doors to distribute political pamphlets, make phone calls to ask for monetary support, host fundraisers, clutter communities in political signs, create Facebook pages, etc. . . They will do almost anything to further their ideological agenda; often becoming involved in partisan politics because they are passionate about a specific issue or set …show more content…
The definition of a partisan activist helps explain how politics have recently become so polarized, because activists are typically more ideological than the mass electorate. However, they directly communicate with the public and are often successful in morphing public opinion about specific issues, such as abortion. The methods employed by partisan activists give them direct communication with individuals who often feel disenfranchised by government officials and party leaders. Party leaders often stop participating in partisan politics because of strict, ideological activists. Therefore, many partisan activists have assumed dominant positions inside political parties. So how do partisan activists cause partisan polarization? Partisan activists cause polarization by holding extremely polarizing political beliefs and effectively sharing those beliefs with the mass electorate, party leaders, and government