Rep. Jason Altmire: We Need Moderate Voters to Reduce Polarization

Centrist Democrat Jason Altmire (D-Pa) outlines his vision for a less polarized future in which moderate voters participate more in primaries to ensure that fewer hardliners make it to Congress.

Political polarization has paralyzed Congress and thrown the country into turmoil. Town hall meetings have become nothing more than orchestrated shouting matches, while major protest marches occur with regularity in cities across the country. Replies to politically themed Facebook and Twitter posts often degenerate into vile, angry commentary more akin to barroom brawls than appropriate social discourse. How did we get here, and more important, what can we do about it?

Having represented a true swing district in the United States House of Representatives, I know firsthand how difficult it is to maintain a centrist position while serving in Congress. Party leaders pressure centrists to vote the party line, even if those votes are inconsistent with the views of those back home. Well-funded outside groups threaten to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat vulnerable members who stray outside traditional party orthodoxy or vote against whatever single issue the group happens to favor. Members of Congress representing swing districts must decide whether to vote in favor of the majority of their district or those with the loudest voice.

Unfortunately, people who participate most actively in the political process are often the most partisan members of the community. Those who are more moderate become frustrated by the political dysfunction they see all around them, so they stay home on Election Day. This leaves to the ideologues the choice of which candidates will appear on the general election ballot. When each party nominates a candidate from the extreme wing of the party, general election voters are left with choices outside the mainstream of the district. In this all-too-familiar scenario, moderates continue to go unrepresented.