Political Divisiveness at an All Time High

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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July 27, 2010

Political Divisiveness at an All Time High

Brighten Godfrey combs through more than 21 years of U.S. Senate roll call votes and finds empirical proof behind the "party of no" strategy pursued by Republicans.

Divisiveness is measured as the average distance between Republicans and Democrats. For example, if 50% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans vote "yes," then divisiveness is 0. If 10% of Democrats and 90% of Republicans vote yes, then divisiveness is 80%.

The historical data shows divisiveness didn't move much for about 18 years, but then dramatically spiked since the beginning of the Obama administration, setting a record in 2009 and another record so far in 2010. The difference here is dramatic: 29% divisiveness in 1989, vs. 70% today.

Also interesting: The three sitting senators who have voted "no" the most: Sen. James DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL).

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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July 27, 2010