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Last year I read Ezra Klein’s book “Why We’re Polarized.” He traced the history of partisanship, explaining the ways parties have evolved, the changing role of the media and the crucial influence of identity politics.
The horrifying events on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 were the culmination of this corrosive process that has made many Americans come to fear each other, hate the other side and refuse to listen to people with whom they disagree. In such a climate, demagoguery and big lies can lead to disaster.