Once upon a time politics was a simple business. You were a Democrat or a Republican. Many people picked their political party based on what party their parents belonged to. From time to time, Congress passed a few laws that helped people and arguments about political issues were civil.
Today’s politics are a far cry from the good old days. If you dare to talk about politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table, you may find yourself in the middle of a fistfight. The parties are not divided over such old-time issues as fair trade or American isolationism.
The current battles are over issues that are often mean-spirited or ugly. I can never recall ever hearing an argument over whether the elections were fairly administered and no winning or losing candidate ever alleged that their election was stolen.
According to the latest CNN opinion poll, over 60 percent of Republicans think the election was rigged. But the most surprising polling numbers are on the question of whether you are sick and tired of the current political climate? In that case the voters agreed by a margin of 72%.
There is no doubt in my mind that former President Trump made a major contribution to the divide that plagues our political system. To this day, he has failed to concede his defeat even though most of the Republican officeholders agree that Trump lost and Biden won.
If you want to see how sick the system has become, the best place to start with is Florida under Go. Ron De Santis. He has made sexual orientation, textbook contents and teacher lesson plans into hot button issues. Florida ranks as one of the highest states for COVID infections and deaths for its size, but DeSantis is proud of his resistance to any restrictions on health efforts such as masks in the public schools.
He has punished any public school that fails to follow his edicts. Florida’s two biggest tourism sources are the cruise ship industry and Disneyland. At the height of the COVID epidemic, he continuously blasted the cruise lines for insisting that passengers wear masks. He has gotten legislation passed to punish Disney for supporting gay rights.
As we approach the November elections, some Republican candidates will be seeking voter support for their allegations that “all Democrats are looking to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants in order to gain a liberal majority in the country.” That is a typical white supremacist trope.
These same words were part of the hate manifesto of the shooter who last week killed 11 Black people in Buffalo. It is a throwback to the time when politicians were warning us that “Catholics, Jews and Muslims were seeking to change our culture” as well as those who warned us that “Irish, Italians and Asians would replace Protestant Americans.”
Unfortunately, we will be facing a partisan divide for at least the next two years and possibly four years thereafter, if Mr. Trump can again gain control of the White House. His whole existence is based on re-running the 2020 election and his determination to change enough voter laws to guarantee a Republican victory even if the Democrats actually win.
There is no voice of reason in today’s Republican Party. Almost all of the national party leaders are afraid to disagree with former President Trump for fear that they will be challenged in a primary contest. Congress members such as Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney cannot be the campaign police forever.
As I am about to experience another birthday, my fondest hope is that some tinge of bi-partisanship will come back to life and the tone of our politics takes a turn for the better. At least I can wish.
