Summary of Ezra Klein's Why We're Polarized EPUB

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 American politics offers the comforting illusion of stability. The Democratic and Republican parties have dominated elections since 1864, and it is easy to assume that our present is a rough match for our past, with the same complaints about politics today mirroring the complaints of past generations.

#2 Political parties are supposed to be the shortcuts that allow citizens to express their opinions on the matters that they don’t understand. But in 1950, the American public was not being given the opportunity to choose between the two major parties, as they were offering a mush of policies.

#3 In 1950, the Republican governor of New York, Thomas Dewey, admitted that if the measure of a real political party was a unified organization with a national viewpoint on major issues, neither the Republican nor Democratic Party qualified.

#4 When there is a division between the parties, it is typically addressed through suppression or compromise. When there is a division within the party, however, it is typically addressed through conflict.