Today, it seems, persuasion is out the window. Elections have become base mobilization exercises, with both Republicans and Democrats competing to see who can energize their base more by throwing red meat into the crowd and insulting the other side. Whichever side is more worked up and angry on Election Day wins—or so the conventional wisdom has it. This is an inherently unstable model for our democracy. Instead of swinging, the political pendulum careens violently back and forth as each side seeks to out-outrage the other. As a result, between elections, nothing gets done because both sides
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