Why 2016 May Be the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime

With no incumbent on the ballot, the 2016 election will present a stark choice between a Democratic Party moving to President Obama’s left and a Republican alternative that’s veered sharply rightward. Although the views of the American public have remained relatively stable over the past 60 years, the ideological polarization of Democratic and Republican politicians has increased steadily for decades. “The chasm between the two parties is the greatest it’s ever been,” says Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington think tank.

What divides candidates in both parties isn’t just their solutions to policy problems; they disagree about what the problems are. In debate after debate, the most hotly contested issues differ almost entirely depending on which party is doing the talking. The Democrats focus on climate change, police brutality against black Americans, and the need to raise the minimum wage, whereas Republicans emphasize immigration restrictions, religious liberty, and their desire to unwind Obama’s major achievements, including the Dodd-Frank financial reforms and the Affordable Care Act.