Category: Civic Issues

In a time of intense political division, it’s easy to lose sight of what binds us together as Americans. However, a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that despite our differences, there are core beliefs that the majority of Americans hold dear.

The survey, conducted from March 21-25, 2024, sampled 1,282 adults and found overwhelming support for certain rights and values that define the American identity. Over 90% of respondents emphasized the importance of rights such as voting, equal protection under the law, privacy, and freedom of religion. These values, deeply ingrained in the fabric of American society, serve as pillars of our national identity.

Interestingly, the poll highlighted minimal discrepancies between Republicans and Democrats on most issues, underscoring the common ground shared by Americans across the political spectrum. However, there was a notable divide regarding the right to bear arms, with Republicans more likely to view it as fundamental to the nation’s identity.

Despite this broad consensus on core values, there exists a pervasive sense of disillusionment with the state of American democracy. Only about 30% of respondents believe that the nation’s democracy is functioning well, with half expressing concerns about its effectiveness. This tension between shared values and dissatisfaction with governance reflects a broader disconnect between the electorate and political leadership.

Political scientist Lilliana Mason attributes this dissonance to the polarization perpetuated by leaders who fail to reflect the moderate views of the electorate. She suggests that while most Americans are relatively centrist in their beliefs, they have been manipulated into harboring animosity towards those with opposing political affiliations.

The poll also shed light on differing perceptions of what defines the American dream and cultural identity. While Democrats prioritize opportunities for immigrants and emphasize cultural diversity, Republicans place greater emphasis on Christian values and beliefs. These disparities reflect deeper ideological divides within American society.

Individual perspectives on the nation’s identity varied widely among respondents. Juan Sierra, a naturalized citizen, emphasized the importance of America as a land of opportunity, while expressing concerns about the influence of religion on policymaking. Conversely, Susan Johnson underscored the significance of spirituality in maintaining national cohesion, echoing sentiments shared by many conservatives.

Moreover, generational differences were evident in attitudes towards democracy and national identity. Younger Americans displayed greater skepticism towards the effectiveness of democracy and were less likely to prioritize certain characteristics as essential to the nation’s identity. This skepticism may stem from their experiences amidst heightened political polarization and a lack of constructive discourse.

Despite these challenges, there remains a shared belief in the importance of upholding fundamental rights and freedoms. However, as Joe Lagle and Mike Maloy lament, the erosion of these rights due to intolerance and corporate influence poses a significant threat to American democracy.

In conclusion, while political polarization continues to dominate the national discourse, the AP-NORC poll offers a glimmer of hope by highlighting the enduring unity found in shared values. As we navigate the complexities of modern governance, it is imperative to uphold these foundational principles that define us as Americans, forging a path towards a more inclusive and resilient democracy.

 

https://apnews.com/article/ap-poll-democracy-rights-freedoms-election-b1047da72551e13554a3959487e5181a

In the year of 2024, I think it is safe to say that no American citizen would ever think that a Kennedy would be back in the presidential race. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is shocking the world with his presidential campaign as an independent. And although Kennedy running for president could be beneficial to the family, it appears that the Kennedy extended family is not in full support of this idea. This Kennedy campaign could very well be a political spoiler in this upcoming election, with his candidacy potentially tipping the race in favor of the Republicans, which could ruin the family legacy.

The Kennedy family’s endorsement of Biden originally started with verbal statements until this past weekend when the visited the White House. On St. Patrick’s Day, three generations and four branches of the Kennedy family visited the White House in full support of Biden’s reelection campaign. It also seems that some of the family members who have been involved with politics in the past will be on the campaign trail in the fall, especially in the states where RFK Jr. is on the ballot. Furthermore, the Biden Campaign has made it clear that they are not making the Kennedy’s do any of this, and that they are letting the Kennedys take a lead on their efforts of endorsement for Biden.

The Democratic National Convention recently announced that Mary Beth Cahill, who is a former Chief of Staff to Sen. Edward Kennedy, will be serving as senior adviser in the Democratic party’s efforts to counter third-party candidates. The convention also happily used the photograph taken on St. Patrick’s day of the Kennedy faithful as a way to show were the family stands with this election. DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni stated “A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s telling that the people who know RFK Jr. best are standing with Joe Biden in this election.”. Stephen Kennedy Smith was very direct in a social media post where he mentioned that his cousin could very well hand the election to the Republicans and “put our democratic process at risk.”. Stephen Kennedy Smith expanded on this with his statement “This is a mistake we can not afford as a country,” he wrote. “Our family has always worked together, so it’s difficult to speak out against a family member. But when RFK Jr decided to run he didn’t call me to ask for help because he knew I would oppose his candidacy due to his misguided stands on issues, his poor judgement, and tenuous relationship with the truth.”. This statement is very poignant because Smith went out of his way to call out his cousin on his flaws, or his flaws as the family sees it.

This upcoming election continues to draw more and more questions with each week, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. There has not been a strong independent candidate in quite some time, so it will be interesting to see how Kennedy’s campaign shakes up the election.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/kennedy-family-rfk-biden-2024-election-rcna144163

As we continue to move this political polarization conversation forward, one of the most glaring problems that is evident lies with the media. With more and more media outlets becoming more prominent with time, there are more and more ways for the general public to obtain the news from all sorts of biases. One of the biggest reasons for the media’s play in political polarization is the emergence of more one-sided media outlets. It seems that the people who only watch or view those forms of media are affected the most when it comes to forming strong opinions.

A study made by MIT political science professors Adam Berinsky and Teppei Yamamoto, covered the question surrounding political polarization and if it causes citizens to seek out partisan media sources, and if partisan media pushed people toward more polarized views. They conducted the research by combining a large online survey about the news that people like to read, along with web browsing data that tracks the news sites the participants actually visited. After this, they found the differences between the two.

While examining the participants’ stated media preferences from the survey, the researcher discovered that people may be receptive to information from sources that they actually disagree with politically. On the other hand, the data gathered from the web browsing information implied that people are primarily influenced by the news sources they agree with. The researchers stated “Together, these results suggest that inferences about media polarization may depend heavily on how individuals’ media preferences are measured,”. This claim makes sense because what media a person engages with on a regular basis is typically about what they agree with, or it forms beliefs. I found the first part of the study particularly interesting because it claimed that people are receptive to information from sources they disagree with. This makes sense however, because when someone is viewing media they disagree with, they may be more engaged because they actually want to hear out what the opposition is saying.

Furthermore, a paper written by MIT philosopher Dr. Kevin Dorst, dives into the logical processes that can drive and create polarization. Dorst argues that people understandably scrutinize evidence that contradicts their existing views more aggressively than evidence that supports it. Dorst explains in his paper that the people who develop radically different views are not necessarily being misled or reacting with strong emotions but are responding rationally to ambiguous information. In other words, Dorst is claiming that people with strong views scrutinize the opposition’s views because the information is misleading.

I think that the study and paper both make excellent claims about the media’s role in political polarization. I think that these claims show that a good solution to these problems is to simply view more forms of media that have different central viewpoints. By doing this, you can see all aspects of the political landscape and all of the opinions surrounding every conceivable topic.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/28/1087666/new-insights-on-political-polarization/

 

With the 2024 presidential election coming up in November, there has been a lot of buzz in the news on who the presidential candidate will be for both the Republican and Democratic parties. That means it is time for the primaries and caucuses so we can finally see who will be on the ballot this upcoming fall.

The Nevada caucuses are currently going down and results are showing that we are most likely going to get a rematch of the 2020 election, featuring incumbent Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump. As the incumbent president, Biden won’t have many challengers within his party and this has been clear with the primary results. In the Nevada Democratic Primary, Biden won the primary by a whopping 89.4%

As for the Nevada Republican Primary, this election had some major differences to the Democratic counterpart. Due to a 2021 Nevada state law, the state is required to hold a primary if more than one candidate from a party files. However, candidates who competed in the state ran primary won’t be allowed to participate in the caucuses or receive delegates. Furthermore, with most of the Republican candidates dropping out in recent weeks, former president Trump is the only major candidate who is competing in the Republican caucuses on February 8.

With Nevada being one of the seven swing states, both candidates are pushing hard to win the state during the election come November. In 2020, Biden only won Nevada by 3%, making it one of the big deciding factors of the election. Swing states play a crucial role in shaping the outcome of elections, both at the national and state levels. These states, often characterized by their political volatility and diverse demographics, are closely contested by both major political parties. They serve as battlegrounds where candidates must tailor their messages and policies to appeal to a wide range of voters. While some argue that swing states receive disproportionate attention and resources during campaigns, others view them as vital to ensuring that the electoral process remains competitive and reflective of the nation’s diverse perspectives. The other six swing states to keep an eye out for in the coming election are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. All of these states were decided by 3 or less points in the 2020 election and experts expect the same outcome this coming November. With the past two elections being insanely close all the way to the end, you can expect both candidates to do most of their presidential campaigning in those states.

With all of these major elections currently happening, there’s really no firm idea on who the president will be for the next for years as the polarization between Trump and Biden is extremely vast. We will have to wait until November to see who will be the next president of the United States.

 

 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/06/us/elections/results-nevada-democratic-primary.html

https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/primaries-and-caucuses/results/nevada/republican-presidential-caucuses

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/s-s-driving-americas-increasing-political-polarization-rcna89559

Our country is facing some of the most intense polarization it maybe has ever seen. The Democrats can’t get along with the Republicans, and the Republicans can’t get along with the Democrats. Nothing can get done with all this polarization and it needs to end. In an effort to study this trend, NBC pulled historical data from the NBC News Poll, which dates back to 1989. The first claim that NBC made on this issue is that the views of American presidents have become polarized by party identification. In the spring of 1948, 68% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans approved of Harry Truman’s performance. Fast forward to Nixon, and the gap between his party’s approval rating and the Democrat’s rating grew to a 47 point difference. Today, Joe Biden’s difference gap is 77 points. It seems that in today’s political landscape people are just looking at either the D or R next to the candidates name with these approval ratings.

NBC’s next point is that there has been changes in both the Democratic and Republican parties. A poll taken in 2012 found that 48% of self-described Republicans were whites without college degrees, and another 40% who were whites with college degrees. Now moving ten years later, non-college whites made up 62% of all Republicans, and the number of whites with college degrees declined to 25%. Now lets apply this data to situations that happened in real life. For example, free trade. Before Trump won the office in 2016, a nearly equal share of Democrats at 56% and Republicans at 48% said that free trade with foreign nations is good for the country. However by 2019, the gap changed to Democrats at 73% and Republicans at 52%. Shifting focus to the Democratic side, a poll in 2012 found that 43% of Democrats described themselves as liberal, with 19% of them calling themselves very liberal. On the topic of government involvement during problem solving, 45% of Democrats said that the government should do more to solve problems and 17%. of Republicans agreed. This poll was taken in 1995 and fast forward to 2021, the Republicans percentage grew a little bit to 23% but the Democrats grew from 45% to a whopping 82%.

This data has many things that you can take away from it. The most important thing to note is that the main reason for our nation’s current state of polarization is because of the evolution of the Democratic and Republican parties. As time goes on and as different major players come and go from within each party, the beliefs of said party will evolve. With that being said, these beliefs don’t disappear, but they change over time. The question of “will this polarization ever end?”  is something that nobody can currently answer at this moment in time. However, I believe that eventually it will.