I'm researching the relationship between the major political parties in this country's history. I wanted to know if the parties in this country have always been at odds with one another with extreme gridlock or were there periods where they compromised with one another and weren't so polarized with eachother. If you have any books you know of that touch on this subject, that'd be great as well. Thanks!
I had a professor that argued that the advent of the 24-hour news cycle was a catalyst for our current state of "hyper-partisanship". He cited past accounts of legislators from both parties going out after session for some beers and steak. Sitting down and hashing out issues like adults.
He argued that the 24 hour news cycle created a different atmosphere that encourages constant bickering and places value on confrontation over consensus.
I highly recommend The Second Civil War By Ronald Brownstein.
At least half of the book is a rich, erudite history of partisan politics from 1896 up to the dawn of the new millennium, and it's wonderful to gain a greater understanding of the evolution of American politics over the last century.