Gone are the days of moderation and consensus between American politicians. Divisiveness, slander, and lack of cooperation now support the seemingly insurmountable divide between Democrats and Republicans. But our fractured politics are a reflection of the fractured country that we live in; a country whose citizens are now petitioning to split apart geographically as well as politically.
Only days after Obama’s reelection, citizens from conservative states chose to exercise another right granted to them by the Constitution: the right to petition. In this case, petition to secede from the United States. Secession petitions have spread across the country since the election, encompassing all 50 states, garnering over a million signatures nationwide.
We the People, a page on the White House website created by the Obama administration, allows Americans to file petitions on issues of concern. If a petition collects 25,000 signatures in thirty days, the website states, the administration will review and respond to it.
So what’s the problem? Is it Americans exercising one of their Constitutional rights? No. The problem here is that the political climate in America has become so fundamentally divided that it allows for animosity such as this. The insurmountable ideological divide that now exists between Democrats and Republicans is plagued by polarization and intolerance.
We have shifted from an age of mutual understanding and respect to an age of blatant unwillingness to work across party lines. We now live in an age of instant political overreaction, one where Democrats and Republicans refusal to see eye-to-eye on seemingly every issue fuels tension toward both sides. Unless something changes soon, there will be little chance to alleviate the growing divide among American citizens.
Stemming directly from the lack of bipartisan politics in Washington, these petitions represent American citizens’ unwillingness to compromise.
What happened to working together as a nation towards American prosperity? Will Democrats and Republicans ever be able to see past party affiliation? At the moment, it looks like they will not.
Politicians are increasingly losing touch with members of the other party and it is changing the political sphere. Politicians used to see each other as people with families, interests, and personalities outside of politics. Their spouses spent time with each other. Their kids went to school together. In some cases democrats and republicans were even friends. At the very least there was professional courtesy and respect between parties. Now politics are cut and dry: defined by being Democrat or Republican. The thought of a democrat and a republican working together in tandem seems regrettably difficult now. It is an ideological divide that fosters unwavering inability to work with the other side in present day.
By blindly declaring to be either a Democrat or Republican, politicians then become enslaved to affiliation instead of non-partisan representation and lose their ability to objectively combat this country’s issues. This ‘us’ versus ‘them’ party mentality benefits nobody. We need reform. We need real change. We need accountability.
Without a true effort towards effective bipartisan politics, the divineness so prevalent will only further deteriorate already unworkable political relations in America.