UCLA political scientists Lynn Vavreck and Chris Tausanovitch and
Vanderbilt’s John Sides argue that political party identity has become
increasingly “calcified” in surprising new ways. Their latest book,“The
Bitter End,” describes both the long-term trends and short-term shocks
that shaped the 2020 presidential election and continue reverberating
today. 

What’s driving the increasing distance between the parties and the
growing homogeneity within the parties? 

Playbook Co-Author Ryan Lizza met Vavreck on UCLA’s campus to learn why
so-called “identity-inflected issues” are the great new dimension of
political conflict and present a dangerous direction in America.