Was 2020 peak polarization?

[MT Treasurer]

'Polarization' is mostly an overused buzzword, and you could argue that the country has never not been 'polarized' in one way or another. What people are referring to is the lack of ideological diversity within the two parties, and even more so in the Democratic Party (which in turn reduces the desire to compromise among base voters from both parties) against the backdrop of a lifestyle/cultural clash (aided by the forces of globalization, automation, and an excessive consumer culture), and that is unlikely to change any time soon. Party coalitions will probably 'depolarize' along race (I strongly doubt that this year's R gains with non-white working-class voters were a one-time thing) but the cultural (and economic) battlefield is alive and well and the battle lines are here to stay.