Last night’s Rose Café talk focused on current day politics. It is certainly an interesting time to discuss politics because of the new administration and the seemingly increase in partisanship. There are several issues that I believe may be contributing to the increasingly partisanship division.

I think one of the issues is that conflict, divisiveness, and dysfunction make for more interesting media. Very little has been reported on nominees or legislation that have received bi-partisan support. This makes the partisan political conflict seem even more extreme. For example, during the Café talk it was stated that most Supreme Court decisions are 5-4. However, after researching this later I found that only about 20% of cases are decided 5-4.

Another problem is the echo chamber that occurs when people are not exposed to diverse viewpoints. Often it takes an effort to seek out differing viewpoints and seriously engage with these arguments. This dynamic has undoubtedly shaped my personal beliefs since the areas which I have lived are mostly comprised of people who share my political views. I have found it difficult to step outside of this echo chamber.

I am also concerned by the lack of rigorous intellectual debate in politics. So many issues are litigated in the court of public opinion on rather petty grounds. I wish that more issues would be studied and debated with academic rigor in public forums.

In the end, I still believe that there is more that unites us than divides us.