Trump Impeachment and Partisanship in Congress: Reasons for Optimism and Pessimism

It seems that American politics has reached a new level of tension. The Democratic and Republican parties have become more polarized over years, and Congress is currently mired in an eye-opening impeachment inquiry, which could alter the course of American history. But has Congressional partisanship actually gotten significantly worse than before? Are there in fact fewer bipartisan legislations getting passed? Will the Trump impeachment remain a partisan issue or can the two parties ever reach consensus? Do we see reasons of remaining optimistic in the current political climate, and is the pessimism in our current social discourse overblown? Here to provide some very refreshing views on the impeachment and Congressional partisanship is Prof. Frances Lee, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Professor Lee is one of the country’s foremost scholars on Congressional politics. She has written extensively on American politics, including the award-winning books "Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation" and "Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship."