The Great Divide

By MARSHALL WARD

In our current political environment, name calling, disrespect for a point of view, lies and innuendo have become commonplace, and friends and family walk on egg shells when politics comes up, has become the norm. This has created a Great Divide.

But just like the molecules of water are separated at the Great Divide where the Atlantic Creek Trail and the Pacific Creek Trail break at the Two Ocean Plateau in the Teton Wilderness in Wyoming and head in different directions to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, so do citizens divide into what James Madison referred to as Factions in Federalist No.10, “united by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the interests of the community.”

Most of our founders distrusted these Factions (parties) and proposed a government capable of controlling the violence and damage caused by these political parties. The idea was a government of checks and balances, separation of powers, and a Bill of Rights that enumerated our unalienable rights and then some.

In 1776, How divided was America? Have we always been divided?

The answer can be found in the story of Ben Franklin and his illegitimate son, William.

In the colonies, there was a 33 percent split among those who were Loyalists to King George III, those who were Patriots and wanted independence, and those who wanted to be left alone.

The Franklin family was no exception. A somewhat reluctant Ben Franklin joined the Patriots’ cause, while his son, William remained a Loyalist. The cost for William was 2 years in a prison in Connecticut.

Upon release he emigrated to England like many Loyalists and never returned. This became Mr. Franklin’s greatest lament, with no reconciliation with his son before he died.

In George Washington’s Farewell Address in 1796, he announced that he would not seek a third term setting a precedent and warned us of divisive party politics, and geographic distinctions.

Lilliana Mason in Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity, found that party identity, Democrat, Republican, or independent has become our mega-Identity because it combines all our different identities – geographical, religious, racial, social and cultural.

She warns that the danger in this mega-identity is that it encourages citizens to care more about a partisan victory than real policy outcomes. What is best for America and its citizens is secondary to whether a Party’s team gets what is demanded.

Americans now are taking positions on issues that are repugnant to their own personal values because of the stance of their political party. For example, Republicans are warming up to Russia and Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent and autocrat, who, among other unspeakable acts, is accused of ordering a cyber attack that impacted the outcome of the 2016 Election.

In Amy Chua’s book, Political Tribes, she argues that our leaders from the beginning of our republic have ignored the idea of tribalism – intense local and ethnic identifies. She adds that the U.S. could be described as a Super Group among the major powers on the globe because we have allowed membership to all ethnic, religious, racial, and cultural backgrounds.

The 2016 Democratic Party platform preamble says, “Democrats are the Party of inclusion, diversity is our strength. We respect differences of perspectives and belief and pledge to work together to move this country forward, even if we disagree. We do not merely seek common ground – we strive to reach higher ground.”

In the words of Keith York, a Calloway County conservative Republican, “We as a nation are a divided people, but we are more likely to survive as a nation, if those on different parts of the Political Spectrum consciously remember and embrace our shared history and heritage.”

If you have lost a friend or family member to a political argument, let’s take time this week to reconcile and make-up.

Let’s Bridge the Great Divide!

Update: 3573 or 9.2% of Calloway County Medicaid recipients lost Dental, Vision, and transportation assistance last week ordered by Matt Bevin.

That is dollars taken out of our local economy because of a vindictive partisan governor. This is exactly what James Madison and George Washington warned us about!