Man, are you guys depressing!
The good news is that judging by voter turnout less than half the country is polarized. The other half doesn't care or thinks it doesn't matter who gets elected. This may be good news too. As my grandmother said, "Don't vote, it only encourages the rascals". Actually the only political statement my grandmother ever made was that she prayed every night for FDR because he instituted social security, without which they would have had a very, very difficult old age. Now there was a practical woman. But I digress.
Seriously, though, I don't think people vote simply the way their father or mother did. But I'm not sure the reasons are much better. We just went through the Hilary Clinton election in my former (and adjacent) home state. You wouldn't believe the invective against her. And not much of it based on fact as far as I could tell. (I can't wait for T day dinner tomorrow. I have a sister in law who was a BIG supporter of the other guy.)
Having observed local government first hand for thirty years, and recognized that the Washington types were, for the most part, were locals once, I tend to lean toward the "it doesn't matter camp." Now before you start writing me back in all capitals let me add that I think it doesn't matter because as voters we have difficulty identifying the important issues and how we feel about them. I read an interesting book once that felt that balancing the budget was the most important issue we face and that if we could do that, solutions to most other problems would flow from the interest saved on the national debt. It further suggested that we simply let every candidate for congress or preseident know that that was the single item we were concerned about and we would vote them into or out of office accordingly. Simplistic? Yes. Naive? Maybe. But only, I repeat, because we have such a hard time focusing on issues.
I think we send so many mixed messages to our elected officials that we give them little choice but to pander to the largest possible audience.
I could go on ....and on...and on, as my former dissertation advisor Perry can tell you. But for now, let me wish you all a most Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season if we don't speak again before the new year.
Cheers,
John