The vanishing political center

But that common ground could be scarce following the death of the establishment. Data increasingly shows that our political parties are losing a center: Compared to 1994, Pew research indicates that today’s median Democrat and median Republican have pushed to the far left and the far right, respectively. They are likely to disagree strongly on issues like immigration, welfare, gun control, abortion, and regulation. Because of this, compromise and agreement will be increasingly difficult both inside and outside Congress in days to come.

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In this sense, the disappearance of establishment politicians could have severe consequences for national politics in coming years. The establishment on the left and right shared common ground and were willing to compromise when necessary. Often, voters hated them for it. And sometimes, their shared “common ground” was rather cronyist. But when one considers the gridlock that has characterized Congress over the past several years, during both Barack Obama and Donald Trump’s presidencies, it’s obvious that this new center-depleted status quo will come with its own challenges. A populism of the hard right and the hard left, without some sort of establishment center, will likely foment growing anger and gridlock in days to come.

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