ABSTRACT
The public is uniquely positioned to nudge elected officials toward compromise, although Democrats and Republicans must agree on a given issue for that to work. Unfortunately, agreement of this sort is hard to come by these days, with grassroots partisans following the polarized cues they get from party leaders. This chapter suggests a way of breaking that cycle by enlisting the support of nontraditional political allies. For example, because Republicans admire the US military and because Democrats have great respect for the scientific community, those institutions can have considerable impact on politicians by taking the lead on important policy issues. Building more of these “crossover” effects might help overcome some of the hyperpolarization now besetting the American polity.
