NOCTILUCA October 2016

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin October 2016 Volume XXII

Issue II Page 3

Noctiluca Editorial

Bipartisan analysis of politics critical during elections

Insults are À ying. Accusations are hurled with little to no basis in fact. Social media is the cen- ter stage for drama and action. The current election feels more like an episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” rather than an election to decide who will lead one of the most power- ful nations in the world. Some have argued that this election will change the course of Amer- ica forever, while others say this election is a change that has been in the making for years. One of the major changes that could come out of this election cycle is a political realignment. Joel Hermansen, who teaches AP Comparative Government and Politics at North, de ¿ nes political realignment as “a phe- nomenon by which the political behavior of Americans causes them to switch party lines.” Po- litical realignments can consist of one of two things: a dramatic change in the beliefs or the con- stituents of a party. These realignments have happened regularly through- out history, usually following major events. A more recent realignment was in 1932 when the Democratic Party ¿ rst came to power. Hermansen says this realignment was the result of the Great Depression and “the activism of the federal govern- ment in trying to solve those Election years tend to be quite eventful. Because the subject of politics as a whole is incredibly dynamic and so- cial tendencies and variations exceed the parameters estab- lished by the word “dynamic,” the chaos of election year can- not come as a surprise. But, this election has proven to be unique beyond prediction. With the increased integration of social media into the cam- paigns of the presidential can- didates — among other fac- tors — , American politics has become incredibly polarized. As the population adheres to buzzwords that are haphazard- ly tossed about by politicians, spite toward opposing opin- ions has grown. Most Ameri- cans do not ensure that the po- tential political representatives they support have constructed effective methods to obtain or progress toward ideal circum- stances. To effectively eradi- cate the unnecessary polariza- tion of our political system, we must approach presented By Alex Wormley

bipartisan system begins to re- À ect a political rigidity of ideas, which communicates that suc- cess can only be accomplished when everyone embraces one method of action, whether it is radical or not. Unfortunately, when both parties adhere to all-or-nothing mentalities, no progress can be made. This is precisely why we must em- brace nonpartisan analyses of politics. Universally, it must be un- derstood that compromise most effectively accomplishes progress, regardless of how ex- tensive that progress is. Only through a median lens can in- dividuals initiate compromise. Without considering opposing ideals, politics begins to adopt a static persona. The beauty of our established government revolves around our ability to strive for the betterment of all via propositions addressed on a large scale. Without the addi- tional layer of compromise and discussion, politics exudes an unimpressive air of arrogance.

Again, nonpartisan analysis and compromise will equate to a more empowered nation. Following objective research of the party platforms, it is im- perative that the voting popula- tion embrace their privilege to actively participate in the elec- tion. If voters decide not to ex- ercise their right to vote, they will essentially be advocating for the candidate they support least. If an individual is 18 by Nov. 8, they must vote. As a people, Americans continuously strive for im- provement. By embracing the constitution, the people can re- À ect the essence of an America which ¿ ghts for improvements upon living circumstances, conditions of poverty, gender equality, economic policy, and more. Signi ¿ cant improve- ment can only effectively be obtained through compromise. Securing compromise requires that the population analyze policies through a nonpartisan lens. Only then can Americans realistically expect progress.

A North student recon ¿ rms their stances upon this year’s politi- cal platforms prior to the November election. Photo illustration by Maeve Salm

problems.” This election won’t be the end of the Democrats or Republi- cans, but rather a change in who will be supporting them. Emma Knutson, copresident for the Democratic League at Apple- ton North High School, believes that we “may have two parties with their respective names, but I don’t think that they will stand for the same platform or characteristics that we’re seeing today.” In their long histories, our two parties have already switched their voter base. The Republican Party was founded as an aboli- tionist party based in the north. The Democratic Party that FDR created had a strong base among working-class whites who had lost their jobs in the Depression. Writing for Politico, Michael Lind stated that “today’s Re- publican Party is predominantly a Midwestern, white, working- class party with its geographic epicenter in the South and inte- rior West. Today’s Democratic Party is a coalition of relatively upscale whites with racial and ethnic minorities, concentrated in an archipelago of densely populated blue cities.” The other factor in political re- alignment is a change in views. Our political system has been polarizing for some time, as re- ported by Pew Research Center in 2012. The median Democrat and Republican have been shift- propositions within platforms from a nonpartisan perspective. Polarization has proven to inhibit legislative successes and trans ¿ gure party beliefs. Too frequently, politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties have com- plained of a log-jammed Con- gress while both demographics are guilty of contributing to the intensity of opposition. Si-

multaneously, political ¿ gures present ideas to remedy issues they believe to be hindering societal progression one year, and then perform a 180 de- gree alteration in their views the following year. They begin to advocate for programs their party approves of despite their previous personal opposition. With this À uctuation of poli- cies to satisfy party norms, the

Does the 2016 election require the attention of the American population?

Analyzing Political Polarization

The opposition and polarity of the two parties has dramatically increased (as of 2014) as Republi- can dislike of Democrats rose from 17% to 43% while Democrat dislike for Republicans rose from 16% to 38%. Infographic by Henry Ptacek

ing farther and farther from centrist views for the last few years. In fact, the percentage of Americans who consistently identi ¿ ed as liberal or conserva- tive has nearly doubled over the last two decades. The catalyst for this recent change in party views may have been Bernie Sanders, the far-left presidential hope- ful who dominated amongst millennials in the primaries. Sanders’ views may have in- À uenced those of Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. In order to gain Sand- ers’ share of millennials, she may have shifted her policies to match some of Sanders’ more popular points and “diminished her ability to run a more main- stream campaign,” according to Hermansen. Knutson also sees Republican candidate Trump as a similar in À uence within

the Republican party. “Both of these ¿ gures represent groups that felt overwhelmingly left out from the political process, which is why they evoked such a large reaction from theAmeri- can people,” she says. However, the result of hav- ing two very different parties is animosity. Pew Research Center also reported higher levels of Americans with “very unfavorable opinions” of the other party. In the case of Re- publicans, dislike of Democrats jumped from 17 percent to 43 percent, while Democrats rose from 16 percent to 38 percent. This difference will lead to two things post-election: a dif ¿ culty in passing legislation in Con- gress and a president the people may not support. Knutson says within Congress this animosity has led to a “reds versus blues” mentality “which accomplish-

es near to nothing in the large scheme of things.” In regards to the president, Hermansen says “a president draws their legiti- macy from the outcome, and the outcome we will have may be so narrow that it will be dif ¿ cult for them to ¿ nd the legitimacy to push forward a platform.” As Nov. 8 approaches, politi- cal debate is sure to start in the halls of North. It is easy to get involved through the Demo- cratic League and Republican Club at school. The Demo- cratic League will be assisting with voter registration with the League of Women Voters, and the Republican Club will be working on campaigning with local elections. For more in- formation on the Democratic League, contact Ms. Nider and for the Republican Club, Ms. Platten.

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