Analytics Stories

CHAPTER 55Can Analytics Save Our Republic?

In 1787, at the end of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what type of government the Founding Fathers had just created. He's alleged to have replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Whatever your political views, most Americans believe the Republic is in peril. In March 2020, a Pew Research survey (see www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/04/far-more-americans-see-very-strong-partisan-conflicts-now-than-in-the-last-two-presidential-election-years/) found that 71% (up from 47% in 2012) of Americans believe very strong partisan conflicts exist between Democrats and Republicans, and 20% believe strong conflicts exist between Democrats and Republicans.

Another way to see the increase in polarization is to look at how many laws Congress passes when one party controls the House and the other party controls the Senate and the presidency. The 98th Congress (1983–1985 during the Reagan administration) passed 667 laws, whereas the 112th Congress (2010–2012 during the Obama administration) passed only 283 laws (see theconversation.com/congress-used-to-pass-bipartisan-legislation-will-it-ever-again-107134).

What has caused this increased partisanship and polarization? I believe it is the fact that the party primaries that choose the Democratic and Republican nominees are dominated by voters who are more liberal or more conservative than most voters. In 2016, only 29% of eligible voters participated in the primaries ...