The phrase “extreme partisanship” often gets thrown around when referring to today’s political discourse. That’s led to questions about whether politicians and voters can find ways to be civil toward each other.
South Dakota State University political scientist David Wiltse says researchers have noticed a rise in “negative partisanship.” Influenced by what they see on social media, he says people’s enthusiasm for their own political party is outweighed by a desire to demonize those aligned with the other major party.
“So, what’s driving your partisanship is more of a sense of how different and how corrupt or evil your opposition is.”
But it’s not just about leaders fostering an environment that re-establishes relationship-building among federal lawmakers. Wiltse suggests politicians calling out members of their own party – to tone down hateful or inaccurate rhetoric – could help turn the tide.
“It’s not as if every single politician is behaving this way. It’s just you’ve got enough who really are fueling this incivility and really trying to use that as their pathway to power.”
Wiltse cites the late U-S Senator John McCain in his 2008 presidential bid as an example of bravery that still might work today. The Arizona Republican confronted his own supporters for spreading inflammatory comments about his opponent, Barack Obama. Wiltse says while McCain’s bid for the White House wasn’t successful, his effort in addressing some of the nasty behavior appeared to be effective.
(Story courtesy of the Greater Dakota News Service.)
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