Crash Course: Political "polarization" isn't the real problem in America: One pole is a lot worse than the other

Political research is all about the dangers of polarization. But what if one pole is cynical and dangerous? [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaHNmd2w0ZGY0di8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvajVpajJibGZtdS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Political "polarization" isn't the real problem in America: One pole is a lot worse than the other There was a time, not all that long ago, when the idea that American political life was dangerously polarized was controversial, and often vehemently denied. In 2004, Morris Fiorina and his co-authors published "[Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvM3R0YXhtOW5ybi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)," which argued that the electorate hadn't fundamentally changed much since 1964, when [Philip Converse](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcG9yZXRldnFtby8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) argued that the vast majority of voters were "innocent of 'ideology.'" [Some scholars pushed back](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcGtudTRpaXQxei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) against this centrist, denialist consensus, but Fiorina's book ran through a third edition in 2010 — the year of the Tea Party wave election. [Read the rest from Paul Rosenberg.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMGFyaWxmNXVydC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Bill Maher calls Elon Musk "a likable guy" in exclusive "Real Time" interview [Elon Musk](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZTZiOTNjeXg5aC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), the world's [second-richest billionaire](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYjJsMnBuZHIxNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) who has spent the last few weeks exploding rockets and morphing Twitter into an unusable hellscape, made a special appearance on Friday's episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher." After an introduction by an amorous-seeming Maher, in which he was given credit for everything just short of inventing water, Musk took the stage to go over his many achievements and receive further praise for being "a likable guy." [Read the rest from Kelly McClure.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvM2Z1bmFrb3Y4eS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (HBO Max) ~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXZiemQzNGNqNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo - How [Bed, Bath and Beyond](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZTVyZGthNTN5dy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (and its coupons) helped soft-launch a generation of starter kitchens - Bring me to life: [Evanescence helped me find my trans voice](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvN2F4MGZuczgyZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "You're welcome over here": [Mike Lindell extends job offer to Tucker Carlson](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcXlsNzQ4Z3lmeS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - What the popularity of "[momfluencers](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcnN5dW9ld3FiaS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" says about our isolated society - Playing George Foreman “felt like an impossibility” for actor [Khris Davis](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXc5OGNsNTdndC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — and then, transformative - Prepare for warm weather with [11 new bubbly beverages from ALDI’s summer alcohol line-up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZjk1a243dmZ2OS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - “She has her own strength that was so empowering”: Priya Kansara talks ["Polite Society"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcTVtcXpwa2hwMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) sisterhood - A brushfire of [leaked secrets](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbnUxNXpqMjZ1YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) sputters out on the battlefield - Trump doubles down on a losing hand in [E. Jean Carroll’s rape case](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvamxlcHRxNXN0Yy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMWJpcDVkcXlmOC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! "Mrs. Maisel" and the myth of the sacrificial ex-husband Sexism is rough and rampant. [Several](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMXR6aHlqdXA1eC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) characters are [closeted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcXZqamc4cHV1cS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), despite what would have been a popular Greenwich Village [gay bar scene](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbnAzMDN5a211Ni8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and growing [activism](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcXl2czBlaWdzZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). But in most regards, "[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMva3VyczE1NHRzZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" is a sherbet-colored fantasy with plucky cheer. Like "Leave it to Beaver" and "I Love Lucy," airing around the time the Prime Video show is set, everything always works out in "Mrs. Maisel." The dresses are pretty and plentiful, childcare issues are nonexistent, and the money continually comes through. The ex-husbands do as well. [Read the rest from Alison Stine.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvenFvazc3NXhuZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Philippe Antonello/Prime Video) - "Five dead in Texas shooting, armed suspect on the loose," [Reuters](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdjJ0cnlndTcwcS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "James Corden Says Goodbye in Star-Filled Final Show," [The Hollywood Reporter](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2Rwdms5ZnZrcy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Principal forced to resign over Michelangelo's David visits sculpture," [BBC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2s1bHI1dzgwYS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Michael J. Fox says his Parkinson's disease is 'getting tougher' and doesn't think he'll live to be 80," [Insider](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaGNodDQya3VsMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Butt lifts are more popular than ever. They're also one of the most dangerous cosmetic surgeries On Oct. 20, 2021, 26-year-old Jaynisha Williams, a mother of two, walked into a cosmetic surgery clinic called Best U Now in Plantation, Florida. Williams, who was known as "Jayla" among friends, had two procedures scheduled: a breast augmentation and a Brazilian butt lift, or BBL. One of many patients who went through plastic surgery at the Best U Now medical facility that [day](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYnVnOGNucXBnZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), Williams tragically died on the operating table, according to [news reports](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXVkdWN3bGpjNS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). The Broward County's Office of the Medical Examiner in Florida later [found](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdmc5Y3h2eGgxdS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTZXA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) "the BBL procedure was completed, but she (Williams) never awoke from the [anesthesia](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNWhrNnNsYnJhNS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)." [Read the rest from Pamela Appea.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZ3RhNWwybXF1ai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPW1haXc0azV3aTYmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZD5BSk5k_9hAwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/BraunS) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmQ-QUpOZP_YQMBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmMM9AP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpkPkFKTmT_2EDAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)