Office Hours: What does today's extreme polarization mean for the future of American politics?

I got my start in American politics about 50 years ago. America was in many ways a different country then, but my political views weren’t all that different than they are now. I was against the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex, pro civil and voting rights, and against the growing power of big corporations. That put me just left of the center. Today I’m much further left of center than I used to be — because the “center” has moved to the right and the right has become far far more extreme.

So today’s Office Hours question: What does this trend mean for the future of American politics? What, if anything, can be done to reverse it? (I’ll chime in starting midday.)

PS: Here’s a video I just did on this, with my talented colleagues at Inequality Media (special shoutout to Whittney Suggs for fabulous animation!).