Politics aren’t more partisan today–we’re just fighting about more issues

There’s no doubt that today’s Congress is characterized by deep enmity between Republicans and Democrats. However, while most commentary tends to cast partisan rancor as a problem that has increased over the last decade, analysis of Congressional voting patterns suggests otherwise. The American Political Science Association task force found that polarization has actually been increasing consistently in both the House and the Senate since the 1970s. What’s new is the breadth and depth of polarization over specific issues.