Is today’s partisanship the worst?

In the first year of the next presidency, no matter who is in office, he or she will have to deal with partisanship and figure out how to work with Congress. Perhaps a Republican in the White House will work with a Republican Congress to accomplish a myriad of goals. But rest assured that the divide between the parties will continue, and the next president will need to deal with it if he or she wants to accomplish any of their priorities. 

Brian Balogh, director of the Miller Center’s National Fellowship Program and a UVA professor of history, took part in the National History Center’s Congressional Briefing on political partisanship in historical perspective. Dane Kennedy on the American Historical Association’s blog summarized the event, which questioned the idea that today’s partisanship is unprecedented. Back Story Radio also put together a storify of  the event.