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The problem in the USA

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The most significant and widely recognized American problem is Political polarization.

Polarization can be described as the divergence of political attitudes and identities among the

public resulting in the undermining of the pursuit of a common good1. Over the years, the United

States has suffered from political polarization by having many political parties that hold distinct

political ideologies and motives impacting their legislation. Although democracy and multi-party

states like the USA are perceived to practice equality and promote peace and freedom, they are at

risk of political polarization because every political party holds its own values and beliefs that

guide its legislation and bills.

Notably, according to past research studies, polarization leads to gridlock and legislative

paralysis2. When political parties are highly polarized, they become entrenched in their

ideological positions making it a challenge to pass new laws and make amendments to the

existing legislation. Failure to cooperate and compromise between political parties hampers

effective governance, which challenges the ability to address press briefings and implement the

essential policy changes3. An example of legislation that has failed to undergo improvements

due to political polarization is the Affordable Care Act. Polarization has hindered legislation

amendments to the Affordable Care Act since it was passed in 2010 as it has been a subject to

partisan debate. Republicans have severally tried to repeal and defund the ACA and they have

been significantly successful in blocking the efforts by Democrats to amend the law. As a result,

the Affordable Care Act has relatively remained unchanged since it was passed preventing it

from being updated to address some of the issues that have emerged since its ratification4.

1
Lupu, “Party polarization and mass partisanship”
2
Lane Kenworthy. “Is America too polarized?”
3
Lane Kenworthy. “Is America too polarized?”
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Dean, “Overcoming Health Care Polarization with Interaction.”
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The loss of bipartisanship resulting from intense political polarization is a crucial issue

that hinders the creation of a consensus. The deep ideological rifts between political parties lead

to a reluctance to work together towards common goals and seek bipartisan solutions to existing

issues5. Consequently, this exacerbates the divisions within debates, in turn hampering the ability

to address complex problems with policy approaches that account for all perspectives. Contrary

to past decades, the topic of gun control has garnered considerable attention among Americans,

sparking a great rift in opinions spanning the entire political spectrum. Unfortunately, Democrats

and Republicans have grown more opposed in their views, complicating any potential middle

ground. Democrats seek more stringent methods of gun control, while their counterparts fear the

infringement of Second Amendment rights6. The lack of bipartisanship has rendered Congress

powerless in passing any legislation on gun control due to the great political divide. The

consequences of inaction in the face of a chilling gun violence epidemic have been devastating,

with countless lives lost. A telling example of the dire situation was the Sandy Hook elementary

school shooting. In 2013, 20 innocent students and 6 adults lost their lives, paying the ultimate

price for the lack of proper gun control measures in place7.

The culture of compromise has also been eroded as a consequence of polarization. The

rigid ideological positions held by political parties make them adopt an oppositional stance that

challenges the ability to engage in meaningful dialogue and find a middle ground to implement

solutions. This widens that gap and prevents the exploration of nuanced policy approaches that

can help the country as a whole8. The culture of compromise can be depicted in the issue of

immigration where several reforms have been proposed but a comprehensive and effective

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Lane Kenworthy. “Is America too polarized?”
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Miller “What Americans think about gun control.”
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CNN. “Sandy Hook School shootings fast facts”
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Lane Kenworthy. “Is America too polarized?”
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solution. The deep divide between the Democratic and Republican parties has eroded the culture

of compromise by creating a political environment where individuals do not prioritize dialogue,

cooperation, and finding common ground. As such, democrats who are largely in favor of a more

lenient approach to immigration while the Republicans propose a more restrictive approach,

make it challenging to pass a comprehensive immigration reform resulting in several policy

changes that have been under significant criticism by both sides9.

Political polarization has also presented a negative impact on weakening trust in

institutions and the democratic process10. The result of a loss of confidence in the political system

is a decrease in voter turnout. As such, the public's confidence in the government's capacity to

handle its business and solve its issues is weakened especially when political parties appear to be

at war with each other. As a result, the government struggles to speak for the people and address

some of the most pressing issues in the country. In addition, division threatens the democratic

process and fuels social discontent among those who believe that the government is not acting in

their best interest. Increased demonstrations, instability, or violence are only a few of the various

manifestations of this disturbance.

For countless decades, politics have been the cause of the largest issue within the United

States, which is political polarization. Despite using democracy to elect officials, the system is

full of polarization that has caused ongoing issues throughout the nation. Commonly, the results

of political polarization are governmental immobility and making it problematic to either change

actions or create original ones like the Affordable Care Act. Moreover, political polarization has

discouraged bipartisanship making it difficult to find a common ground for discussing American

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Sanchez “Influential Political Actors in the Passage of 1986 & 1996 Immigration Reform Acts.”

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Lane Kenworthy. “Is America too polarized?”
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problems and making legislation. Also, polarization has led to the erosion of a culture of

compromise and led to the lack of trust in public institutions and systems bringing up

consequences such as public protests, violence, and lower turnout in voting. As a result, political

polarization has undermined public trust and hindered a collaborative and cooperative political

environment that could allow constructive dialogue and pursuit of policies that could benefit the

United States government by effectively implementing legislation and amendments.

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References

Dean, L. M. (2019). Overcoming Health Care Polarization with Interaction: Effects of the

Affordable Care Act on Public Opinion in Kentucky (Doctoral dissertation, University of

Cincinnati).

Heaney, M. T. (2020). Protest at the center of American politics. Journal of International

Affairs, 73(2), 195-208.

Lupu, N. (2015). Party polarization and mass partisanship: A comparative perspective. Political

Behavior, 37, 331-356.

Miller, S. V. (2019). What Americans think about gun control: evidence from the general social

survey, 1972–2016. Social Science Quarterly, 100(1), 272-288.

Sandy Hook School shootings fast facts. (2022, May 27).

CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/07/us/connecticut-shootings-fast-facts/index.html

Lane Kenworthy. (2023, May 24). Is America too polarized? https://lanekenworthy.net/political-

polarization/

Sanchez, C. V. (2022). Influential Political Actors in the Passage of 1986 & 1996 Immigration

Reform Acts.