This article by Eli Yokley, is published by Morning Consult. Here is an excerpt:

American political rhetoric is angry, with figures on the right and left casting people on the other side of the divide as extremists, both in their beliefs and their tactics for taking power. 

While cynicism about political opponents is not new, it has intensified as politicians have increasingly embraced negative partisanship as a surefire motivator of their respective bases, from President Donald Trump’s win in 2016 over a similarly unpopular opponent to the Democrats’ victories in 2018 and 2020 over Trumpism and the man himself.

But Trump’s diminished direct role on the political stage suggests Democrats will have a tougher time wielding negative partisanship to motivate their base for the stretch run of this year’s midterms. The tallness of that task is underscored by new Morning Consult research, which shows that voters on the right are more likely than those on the left to view the opposing side as ideologically extreme and acting in bad faith. However, Democrats may be able to find fruit in the Republican Party’s vocal extremes to motivate voters in the middle, who are more likely to see Republicans as a bigger threat to functioning democratic norms

Read the full article here.