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Opinion Forget 'polarization.' The problem is right-wing extremism.
The craziness of the MAGA branch of the GOP is not due to polarization. These assholes are RWNJ/right-wing extremists.
These assholes are too insane to be reasoned with.
Link to tweet
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/28/polarization-right-wing-extremism-maga-republicans/
Much of mainstream political coverage characterizes “polarization” to be an undisputed, self-evident and defining feature of American politics. The phenomenon is supposed to explain the rise of MAGA extremists, political gridlock and a host of other ills.
One problem: We don’t have polarization. We have right-wing extremism.
One need only look at primary elections this year to see which party craves mainstream support. The notion that progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) represents the heart of the Democratic Party is clearly wrong. As the Associated Press reports, “New York City Democrats chose Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who is more of a centrist, over several progressive rivals. … About 30 miles north in the Hudson River Valley, a powerful establishment candidate, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, defeated a state lawmaker running to his left and backed by Ocasio-Cortez.”
Axios similarly noted at the end of July that of the 22 primaries in safe Democratic seats in which a progressive candidate challenged a more moderate one, the moderate candidate won 14 — or about two-thirds — of the races. That included victories for “Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, the only pro-life Democrat in the House; a come-from-behind victory by Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown over progressive favorite Nina Turner; and a landslide defeat for former Rep. Donna Edwards against Glenn Ivey in Maryland.”.....
Consider also the parties’ different treatment of abortion. Republicans are furiously scrubbing from their websites their extreme positions in favor of forcing women to give birth. Meanwhile, Democrats are loudly touting their support for Roe v. Wade, which more than 60 percent of the public favors. One party is trying to conceal its extremism; the other is advertising its mainstream views.
“Polarization” is an easy dodge for those in the mainstream media who remain addicted to false balance and moral equivalence. Instead of pointing to one party’s descent into delusions and radicalism, they advance the false idea that both parties are becoming extreme. Perhaps the media should level with voters: We have only one mainstream, pro-democratic national party.
One problem: We don’t have polarization. We have right-wing extremism.
One need only look at primary elections this year to see which party craves mainstream support. The notion that progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) represents the heart of the Democratic Party is clearly wrong. As the Associated Press reports, “New York City Democrats chose Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who is more of a centrist, over several progressive rivals. … About 30 miles north in the Hudson River Valley, a powerful establishment candidate, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, defeated a state lawmaker running to his left and backed by Ocasio-Cortez.”
Axios similarly noted at the end of July that of the 22 primaries in safe Democratic seats in which a progressive candidate challenged a more moderate one, the moderate candidate won 14 — or about two-thirds — of the races. That included victories for “Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, the only pro-life Democrat in the House; a come-from-behind victory by Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown over progressive favorite Nina Turner; and a landslide defeat for former Rep. Donna Edwards against Glenn Ivey in Maryland.”.....
Consider also the parties’ different treatment of abortion. Republicans are furiously scrubbing from their websites their extreme positions in favor of forcing women to give birth. Meanwhile, Democrats are loudly touting their support for Roe v. Wade, which more than 60 percent of the public favors. One party is trying to conceal its extremism; the other is advertising its mainstream views.
“Polarization” is an easy dodge for those in the mainstream media who remain addicted to false balance and moral equivalence. Instead of pointing to one party’s descent into delusions and radicalism, they advance the false idea that both parties are becoming extreme. Perhaps the media should level with voters: We have only one mainstream, pro-democratic national party.
