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Originally Posted by Red Slinger
This conveniently ignores WHY American politics has become more polarized. When Newt Gingrich, in 1994, as the leader of the GOP enacted the new policy of going against the Democrats on almost all issues, even if they were conservative. He used demonizing, combative language and rejected any form of compromise. He essentially kicked-off the hyper-partisanship that is now commonplace in the US and is, of course, drifting north. That has become the defacto mantra of the GOP ever since including during the Obama Presidency where the GOP became the 'Party of No' by opposing every measure by the Democrats even if it was originally a Republican idea.
Generally this idea of 'both sides are doing it' is really naive. Yes, there is hypocrisy on both sides. That's normal for politics. However, only one side believes in science and that something should be done to avoid a climate catastrophe; only one side believes in equality and human rights for all; only one side believes that everyone should have the right to vote...and so on. The Dems aren't perfect by a long shot, including Biden, but to equate them with the GOP, particularly since 1994 when Gingrich became Speaker, is either naive or intentionally misleading.
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I think polarizing behaviour and language has come from both sides. If the polarizing policies and rhetoric on the left is not apparent to you, then I would attribute that to you simply choosing to be in an echo chamber. Which, I would say, is the phenomenon most responsible for the polarization that we are seeing and is shown in that pew poll.
People have abandoned not only their search for objectivity, but their desire for objectivity.