This chapter considers how dynamics in public opinion combine with changes in participation and in the degree of elite (specifically, congressional) polarization in this regard. It begins by discussing the systematic changes in polarization and participation. Since the importance of a liberal-conservative dimension and left-right thinking in the public may be of less obvious importance for understanding American politics, given its peripheral position in the study of public opinion, this chapter develops a set of claims regarding its existence and relevance and then considers how it might fit into the polarization-participation-public opinion dynamics. To support its arguments, the chapter draws on data from American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys, surveys of donors to political campaigns, and surveys of delegates to national conventions.