I would like to suggest that a factor in the emergence of political polarization has been the decline of local politics. Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” In a sense that remains true, but local means by ideology today, not by issues. In Texas, where I live, the majority party in rural areas is trying to shut down t…
I would like to suggest that a factor in the emergence of political polarization has been the decline of local politics. Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” In a sense that remains true, but local means by ideology today, not by issues. In Texas, where I live, the majority party in rural areas is trying to shut down their local schools and their voters blithely disregard this fact, so intent are they on ideology. I believe that reinvigorating local government requires allowing local governments mismanage their affairs to some extent so that their constituents will feel that they are truly empowered. It also requires reducing the size of school districts and other political entities so that individuals will feel that their views are influential.
I would like to suggest that a factor in the emergence of political polarization has been the decline of local politics. Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” In a sense that remains true, but local means by ideology today, not by issues. In Texas, where I live, the majority party in rural areas is trying to shut down their local schools and their voters blithely disregard this fact, so intent are they on ideology. I believe that reinvigorating local government requires allowing local governments mismanage their affairs to some extent so that their constituents will feel that they are truly empowered. It also requires reducing the size of school districts and other political entities so that individuals will feel that their views are influential.