The idea that America is “polarized” is now so accepted and entrenched that few feel it necessary to justify the claim. Our political divisions are important, and the plethora of scholarship they have rightly attracted varies in quality. Parchment Barriers: Political Polarization and the Limits of Constitutional Order, edited by Zachary Courser, Eric Helland, and Kenneth P. Miller, is the latest addition to the genre, and one of the stronger books on the subject. However, the book's importance hinges on whether ideological polarization really exists in the United States.
Although political polarization is not a unique American phenomenon, it does seem to manifest differently in the United States than in other advanced democracies. Parchment Barriers suggests that America's constitutional design, and the nation's unique political institutions, in some ways ameliorate polarization but in other ways increase it.
The volume's contributors examine these subjects by institution. George Thomas begins the work with an essay on James Madison's vision of the Constitution, discussing the original intent of checks and balances, and how they should be utilized to achieve effective government. Others take up polarization in relation to Congress, the presidency, the judiciary, the administrative state, American federalism, and political parties. The book ends with Joseph M. Bessette's qualified defense of polarization.
Every chapter provides valuable information and insights, but I particularly recommend Benjamin Kleinerman's essay on the presidency. Kleinerman notes that we increasingly view the President as something akin to the head of a parliamentary democracy, with a mandate to pursue legislation. The administrative state's growth furthermore gives the President authority to make important policies without congressional approval. As a result, the presidency is not just the ultimate prize in politics, but the sole obsession of political parties. According to Kleinerman, “The logic of partisanship in relation to a prize like the presidency requires commitment without compromise.” The parties' zeal to gain and hold the White House makes bipartisan cooperation increasingly unlikely.
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