Morris P. Fiorina is a political scientist like few others: he’s an optimist. Fiorina grew up in rural Pennsylvania and worked in steel mills to put himself through college. A professor at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Fiorina has spent much of his life studying the American electorate. In this episode, he busts political myths, explains the difference between sorting and polarization and offers a reassuring perspective on today's political climate. 

Episode Notes:

• Surprise: Voters Aren't More Polarized than Ever, Only Pols and Media Are, Reason, February 2018

• Polarization Is Not the Problem, Stanford Magazine, May 2018

• Unstable Majorities: Polarization, Party Sorting, and Political Stalemate, Morris P. Fiorina, Amazon Link

• Palo Alto woman sparks furor by berating man wearing MAGA hat, The Mercury News, April 2019

• Is America more politically polarized than ever? Not quite, Chicago Tribune, September 2018

• Independent Politics: How American Disdain for Parties Leads to Political Inaction, Samara Klar & Yanna Krupnikov, Amazon Link