As I am concerned I will tell you...
The biggest reasons I hear for the increase in political polarization, and the resulting gridlock in politics, is either gerrymandering or "the other side is just extra crazy" The truth is gerrymandering has basically existed forever on both sides, and the other argument is just group think. Anyone have any data on why the political process has become more polarized in the past 20 some years?
What will you say to this?
I think it is because we have entered an information age where we have so many media options available to us that the market creates media options tailored to what certain segments of the population wants to hear. Want an extreme liberal spin on your news? Watch MSNBC. Want a conservative spin? Watch Fox. Its not just TV it's radio and internet media as well. There used to be a time when media options were limited and the population all listened to roughly the same thing. But now, one can customize their news to support their political beliefs. Therefore, they never have to be bothered with the other side of the story. They can craft a listening/watching schedule that reinforces their pre-conceived notions. In doing so, their biases become more and more firmly entrenched and their tolerance for alternate points of view diminishes. With that comes increased hostility and the vitriol we see splashed across these message boards on a daily basis.
BINGO!
And then there's the gullible people who soak on the hyper-biased shit up and there are many, many of them. Just check out the thread titles! 
Then we have our hyper-partisan politicians. It didn't use to be this way. I remember when politicians used to get in fierce debates and then have dinner together afterwards. Now that basically doesn't exist. It seems that the divide in Washington has expanded and now includes personal disgust/hate between both sides. That is childish to say the least.
To me Benghazi is the ultimate example of how things have changed. From Reagan through G W Bush, our presidents have all had their Benghazis and some had many more American deaths than Benghazi, but there were no 2 year long witch hunts like there is with Benghazi. And it appears that Benghazi is going to stretch out through to at least 2016. That'll make four years of Benghazi witch hunts
What's behind all of this? Hyper-partisanship, led by dozens upon dozens of hyper-partisan talking heads with thousands upon thousands gullible readers/listeners. Of course this supersedes any common sense and reality, but does lead to a do- nothing Washington.
There's the old saying "untied we stand, divided we fall". ever notice that the United States has been on a downwards trajectory since all this hyper-partisanship started? United, this country moved forward and became the world's power, we are now divided and the rest of the world is catching and passing us.
I guess the main thing I would say in response to this is to take an honest look at the human species and United States culture in particular. The truth is we love this shit. We love to be outraged. There is nothing the average American loves more than a good juicy scandal that allows them to pass judgment and state their position on the matter. It makes us feel better about ourselves because it provides a basis for comparison and it provides someone to blame for the state of society.
Bruce Jenner is getting a sex change? Lovely! Now we can ***** about homosexual issues and why the Democrats/Republicans are destroying the nation.
Sandra Bullock's husband cheated on her? Wonderful! Now we can ***** about sexual immorality and why the Democrats/Republicans are destroying the nation.
Hillary Clinton is hiding emails? Perfect! Now we can ***** about political corruption and why the Democrats/Republicans are destroying the nation.
A cop shot an unarmed black man? Awesome! Now we can ***** about racism and why the Democrats/Republicans are destroying the nation.
All of these things, and all other scandals, provide us the opportunity to define ourselves as individuals and a society. The information age has created new platforms, such as USMB, for people to grind their ax. When there is not a scandal, people get bored now. Society sits around tapping its fingers waiting for the next thing that they can be outraged about and when it happens they are elated because they now have something to be outraged about.
So the political divide we see today is also because, we as a society choose it. In fact we thrive on it. We love every single minute of it.
