I've seen countless whines on this subject. No bipartisanship, too much bickering, gridlock, yada yada. Usually by democrats. And, I gotta agree with them. Over my memory span, the Congresscritters have grown meaner and nastier, far more likely to do ad hominem attacks upon the other party.
How come?
Well, back in the good old days (50s,60s) the Democrats had an overwhelming majority just about everywhere, Congress, state houses, city halls. You don't squabble with members of your own party. And if you are a real small Republican minority party you know you have to get along with the majority Democrats if you ever want to get any of your stuff passed. So things ran a bit smoother, and with more politeness under a one and a half party system.
Starting with Newt Gingrich's Contract with America in 1994, the Republicans finally gained enough strength nationwide to draw level with, or even ahead of, the Democrats. When you have the votes to push thru your program, you don't have to be polite to the opposition, you just vote it thru. The opposition hates that, but that's democracy for you.
So, the "polarization" so decried by the democrats is actually a sign of the return of two party politics.
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