The more polarized things get, the consequences of any policy or action by the government

become secondary to did the Democrats or Republicans win by doing this.

Maybe a thousand people die, maybe nobody dies, but that doesn't really matter as much

as like did the Democrats win or did the Republicans win?

Hello, welcome to Asher Klein show on the Boxpedia podcast network.

Are we trying to figure out what has gone so wrong and almost never come up with any ways to

possibly fix it? I am Asher Klein, this is my show. I'm glad you're here. My guest this week is

Liliana Mason, who is the author of, I think one of the most important books it will be published

this year. I really do. It's called Uncivil Agreement, How Politics Became Our Identity.

I am some of you know writing a book or trying to write a book about political polarization,

and this I think is one of the clearest explanations of how our groups became so powerful,

how our political groups became so overwhelming, and why our politics looks the way it does.

Mason is a political scientist at the University of Maryland. She's a fascinating

figure on this issue. I think you're really going to enjoy this discussion. As always,

we'd love your feedback. I am at asherclincho at box.com again asherclincho at box.com.

Here is Liliana Mason. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. I want to start. You begin with just one

of my favorite things that has ever happened in American politics. Tell me about the APSA report

of 1950. That's your favorite thing. That is my favorite thing. Because when you know about that,

it makes everything look so weird. That's true. The APSA is the American Political Science Association.

In 1950, they wrote a report called, Toward a More Responsible to Party System, which essentially

said we need our parties to look really different from each other, and they don't look different

enough right now. It's dangerous. It's not responsible for us to have these two parties that are so

...