Partisanship particularly increased after the 1994 elections and then the appearance of the first unified Republican government since the 1950s.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Over the course of two terms, President Reagan revolutionized the Republican Party and changed the political atmosphere in a way still being felt today.
I came into the Republican party in 1980, when I was a college student at Georgetown.
I have never seen such extreme partisanship, such bitter partisanship, and such forgetfulness of the fate of our fathers and of the Constitution.
During the election of Washington's successor, it became apparent that the country was sharply divided and that the dissatisfaction with Federalist policies was deep and fervent.
I was a Democrat for a period of time early on. And then I was also an independent. And then I became a Republican.
Government actually grew during the Reagan years.
Smaller government, more individual responsibility, more individual control creates more Republicans. More state power and ownership and control and top-down decision-making creates more Democrats.
In my state, the Republican Party was the most progressive party.
The nature of our two main political parties has changed in the United States.
The first phase of American political history was characterized by the conflict between the Federalists and the Republicans, and it resulted in the complete triumph of the latter.