Why We're Polarized

As he concludes the first half of the book, Klein emphasizes the importance of the context in which partisan identities have taken hold: great demographic change. Non-Hispanic white voters, the power holders for so long in the US, are told that they will be a minority by 2045. Men are facing a world in which women have assumed positions of leadership and norms of behavior are changing, as symbolized by Hillary Clinton. Christians, once the dominant religious group in the US, are alarmed at the increasing percentage of “nones,” or those without religious affiliations. Notably, there are significant Differences Between Republicans and Democrats in their response to these changes.

Klein highlights that while George W. Bush sought to expand the Republican Party’s appeal to Latino/Latina voters, Trump chose a strategy of mobilizing those dominant groups feeling threatened by these changes. He directly appealed to white, male, and/or Christian voters. For example, he depicted people from racial minority groups, especially Latino/Latina people, as threatening, invading, and unable to assimilate. He called for a ban on Muslims entering the country, combining racial and religious identity. He also belittled and insulted female journalists. Klein explains that group identity causes members to act hostilely to those outside of the group. Encouraging his supporters to call for Clinton to be locked up and for protesters to be beaten up, Trump tapped into this desire to punish outsiders. Given the demographic context of “threat,” these attacks resonated and reinforced Republican identification. That identification triggered defenses of racial, religious, and geographic identities, which were fused with it. Such activation and reinforcement of partisan identity leads to an Increase of Polarization in US Politics.

On the other hand, Democrats have embraced America’s demographic changes and represent groups increasing in number and percentage. To win, the Democrats need a diverse coalition. Obama, for example, expressed hope for a unified country and sought to heal divisions. While he was careful not to speak in a “threatening” manner about race, his identity as an African American made him a symbol of diversification. As Klein explains, even incidental exposure to diversity causes white voters to adopt more conservative positions and to support Republicans. As president, Obama was thus a constant reminder of the country’s diversification. In fact, Trump began his political rise by attacking Obama’s legitimacy, falsely claiming that he was not born in the US.

Klein maintains that partisan identity drives the increase in political polarization, as policy positions follow from identity. For example, racial resentment activated economic anxiety, not vice versa. Over time, the positions of the parties have changed to accommodate the changing demographics in their coalitions, and identity is the driver.

In the Interlude, Klein puts the pieces of his theory about the causes of the increase in political polarization together. He notes the strength of group allegiance, how the political parties have been sorted, and how partisan identity has been fused with multiple strong identities. In the context of demographic change, the constant activation and reinforcement of identities has strengthened partisan identity to the point that it is a threat to democracy. Next, Klein explains why the problem is reaching the point of crisis.