Evaluate the development of party polarization in the United States. Consider both polarization within political parties and in the electorate. Does polarization create apathy or activism? What evidence supports your position?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Provide a definition of polarization such as: the presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the Democratic and Republican Parties.
2. Differentiate between party polarization and the polarization of the public, noting that scholars tend to agree that members of Congress are polarizing, with Republicans moving further to the right than Democrats are moving to the left. In terms of the party in the electorate, however, the public largely remains moderate, but citizens are also adopting policy positions that suggest they might be polarizing as well.
3. Assess the causes of polarization, including perception formation and clarification of party policy positions related to better party organization.
4. Examine consequences of polarization, such as congressional gridlock.
5. Formulate an argument on the consequences of polarization using evidence from the text to support a reasoned response.
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Since 1946 the U.S. Supreme Court has become steadily in favor of __________
a. labor interests b. business interests c. environmental interests - d. international interests
Which of the following is false?
a. The National Security Strategy of the United States revised and released one year after the World Trade Center attacks put forward a new policy for checking the threat of nuclear war that relied on preemption. b. A significant number of officials in the administration of George W. Bush felt that the United States had erred during the first Gulf War in 1991 in not pressing the operation all the way to Baghdad and ousting Saddam Hussein. c. In the late 1990s, Saddam Hussein’s regime in Baghdad tested a low-yield nuclear warhead. d. The comprehensive 9/11 Commission Report, published in 2004, offered no evidence of collaborative ties between Iraq and al-Qaida.