US President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Friday, congratulating both sides of the political aisle for “putting the good of the country ahead of politics” and clearing the debt ceiling deal. Biden will sign the bill into law on Saturday.
During his address, the president lauded the passage of the bill as proof that the US’ deeply divided political parties, the Democratic Party and the GOP, are able to work together effectively enough, at least, to prevent an economic disaster.
But the hostility between the two warring parties has only grown since 2016.
A poll taken last summer by the Pew Research Center says that 72% of Republicans regard Democrats as more immoral, while 63% of Democrats said the same of their GOP counterparts - that’s up from 47% and 35%, respectively in 2016. Additionally, those percentages were similar when each party was asked about “dishonesty” from their opposing party.
The poll also found that from the US public, 71% of Americans overall say they would like “more political parties to choose from in this country.” About 47% of younger voters, those who are ages 18 to 49, agreed with this statement as well, but just 23% of those who are aged 65 or older agreed with the sentiment. The average age of a US senator, according to Pew, is about 65 years old.