By jacobtothe on Skatehive
Over the last few decades, the American two-party system seems to have escalated in dividing society. I know enough of history to not be fooled into thinking this is a unique occurrence, but it should still call into question popular assumptions about democracy, society, and government. I'll illustrate this with a not-especially-brief look back at what I remember from my own lifetime, but feel free to debate in the comments. Clinton My first memories of politics are the 1992 election contest between George H.W. Bush ("Bush Senior" now) and William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton. The Clinton victory was seen by Republicans as a defeat, but not a catastrophe. However, there were several concerns. My family was nominally Republican in the generally Democrat state of Minnesota. Dad was a Rush Limbaugh listener, we attended staunchly pro-life churches, and American exceptionalism was running high after the Soviet Union collapsed. The Gulf War had also restored some jingoistic pride following the