Why We're Polarized

If partisans are less concerned with policy than identity, how did partisanship strengthen so much with ideological sorting? What accounts for the intensity of identity with a political party?

Do the uninformed—or those who pay little or no attention to politics—offer an opportunity to change the current political alignment and reduce polarization? Why or why not?

What can political journalists, who are committed to facts and informing the public, do in a polarized environment to get partisans to open their minds and deliberate? Why is it such a difficult challenge?

Why has the Republican Party chosen the path of mobilization over expansion when its coalition is shrinking as a percentage of the population? If it continues this strategy, what are the potential consequences?

Is the American system of governance destined for crisis and failure given polarization? Will it become unstable as other presidential systems have? Will democracy be threatened?

Why are state and local politics less likely to be affected by polarization? Why does Klein suggest that voters focus their political involvement at the local level?

Are the differences between the Republicans and Democrats as stark as Klein describes? Does the Republican turn away from democracy open possibilities for a third party? Why or why not?

Did Trump simply take Republican trends to their logical conclusion and change the party as a matter of degree, as Klein suggests, or did Trump transform the party in kind? Explain, referring to the modern history of the party.