Democrats hate Republicans and the feeling is mutual. Is this a problem?
We know political polarization is a problem, but it is sometimes hard to articulate just why this challenge will eventually wreck our country unless we solve it. In this blog post, I will list specific problems followed up with examples.
Problem #1 - Problem solving is superficial and ineffective.
Problems are not defined. Instead, politicians argue about the results of problems and why their opponents are part of the problem. They poke fun at each other instead of working with each other and solving problems.
Energy and climate example. How do we solve carbon emissions rather than funding wind and solar projects that won’t be effective and will increase electricity and energy costs for all? Democrats spin the climate issue into a "crisis" to win elections based on fear emotions. Republicans poke holes in the climate crisis theory only to be called deniers by Democrats. Politicians divide us into climate deniers and climate alarmists. Where are the climate pragmatists?
Problem #2 - Gridlock.
Difficult problems are not addressed at all because both sides are afraid that whatever they do will be used against them in a primary or general election.
Immigration Example. We need secure borders to protect Americans from unwanted criminals, drugs, and illegal immigrants. Urban cities oppose federal immigration law by declaring their cities to be sanctuaries for immigrants breaking federal immigration law. Democrats and Republicans come up with amnesty programs, pathways to citizenship, border walls, releasing vs holding immigrants for asylum processing, etc. Laws are not forthcoming from congress; and what laws do get passed get ignored by presidents. Republicans want border security, and Democrats accuse Republicans of racism. In the meantime, immigrants are flooding in without documentation, with illegal drugs, and being housed and fed in sanctuary cities that are overwhelmed.
Problem #3 - One-sided anti-solutions.
One-sided anti-solutions are most prevalent when one of the politically polarized parties is in power. One-party gets free reign to do what it wants because it controls the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. In this one-sided mode, the political party passes as many partisan bills into law as they can until the mid-term elections roll around 2-years later. Without balance, these solutions rarely solve the target problem(s) and often end up making whatever issue they were targeting worse.
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Example. Barack Obama got elected in 2008, with a majority in the House, and a super majority in the Senate, Democrats could do whatever they wanted. And they did. In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act or ACA or Obamacare was signed into law. This law was passed to help people get health insurance coverage who were being denied for prior illnesses, cover poor people who couldn't afford to pay for health insurance, and set up health insurance marketplaces administered by individual states to purchase government subsidized health insurance policies.
The hope was that by having coverage, un-insured people would avoid emergency healthcare treatment, and the overall price of healthcare would go down. It is now 2023, and healthcare costs have risen at a higher rate since the passage of the ACA, than before the ACA. Proponents of this bill argue that healthcare costs would have risen at a higher rate had we done nothing. The fact is that the U.S. pays 2X the cost of other developed countries for healthcare, and our healthcare ranks 11th in quality. Not only did we not solve the problem, we made the problem worse.
Problem #4 - Budget busting omnibus spending.
In a gridlocked congress, members will approve a spending bill, if their pet project can be included in the bill. With 535 congresspeople wanting their special deals, spending is increased. No member dare suggests a tax increase to pay for increased spending. This means national debt is increased once again with deficit spending. These spending giants are called omnibus bills.
December 2022 Omnibus Bill Example. In December 2022, a massive $1.7 Trillion omnibus spending bill was passed. The bill was over 4,000 pages and was to be voted on two days from the time the bill was printed. This spending bill was rushed through in 2-days. No congress member had a chance to amend or vote no on this bill without incurring the rath of all Americans for closing the government.
This out-of-control spending creates another problem with debt limit stalls by those who are trying to control government omnibus bill spending after such bills have passed. Omnibus spending is an effort to gain political power in upcoming campaigns and has nothing to do with improving our country in a fiscally responsible manner.
Problem #5 - Self-rule is failing.
Americans are getting unhappy with no progress on key political issues. Mass shootings, unsecured borders, drug overdoses, skyrocketing national debt, increasing crime rates, employment instability, homelessness, ethnic divisions, abortion, and several more issues. We disagree on many things. That's okay. However, there are many places where we agree, and those topics are stalled in a polarized congress and presidency that cannot collaborate on behalf of American citizens.
Crime Increase Example. Local governments have decided to allow criminals to get away with theft because they believe that property crime is not that serious. This has resulted in mobs raiding stores and taking what they want with impunity. Most citizens do not want this behavior to continue. And yet, their elected officials ignore their pleas for law and order.
Problem #6 - Political party power and control.
When people become polarized, political parties wield power over our representatives. Elected officials no longer represent their constituents, they represent their political parties. Votes in congress have little to do with local concerns and are instead aligned with political parties. A Republican from California will vote the same as a Republican from Mississippi. A Democrat in Texas will vote against a more secure southern border, even if that more secure border is a good idea for Texas.
Party Line Voting Example: Unless the vote is a procedural vote, all votes in the U.S. House and Senate are currently party line votes. This means that Democrats vote as a voting bloc, and Republicans vote as a voting bloc. Programs passed in the current Republican House are immediately held up in the Democratic Senate. When the Senate and the House were under Republican control in the latter part of the Obama administration, President Obama threatened to veto whatever bills that passed.
Problem #7 - Executive orders instead of legislation.
When the congress is gridlocked, the president is forced to create a legal framework to execute the duties of their office. This usurps the intent of the power of congress, and it creates a fluctuating legal framework for the U.S. government.
XL Keystone Pipeline Example. President Obama halted approval of permits to build the XL Keystone pipeline through an executive order. President Trump approved permits to build the XL Keystone pipeline through an executive order as soon as he was sworn in. President Biden halted the XL Keystone pipeline permits stopping this project that had been started. If a Republican president is elected in 2024, this decision will most likely be reversed once again.
Problem #8 - Dividing American citizens.
Politicians use hateful and derogatory language to curry favor with the faithful while demagoguing their political enemies. This vitriol carries over into an American society that desperately craves unity instead of division.
Campaign Rhetoric Examples: The hateful language comes from both sides.
Hillary Clinton - In the 2016 campaign against Donald Trump - "half of Trump supporters fit into a ‘basket of deplorables’
Barack Obama - 2008 campaign against John McCain, - "people in small towns are bitter and cling to guns or religion."
Mitt Romney - 2012 campaign against Barack Obama - "47 percent of Americans vote for Democrats because they are dependent upon government and believe they are victims"
Paul Ryan - 2012 Mitt Romney VP candidate - "the country is divided between makers and takers."
These soundbites are used by political opponents to imply that their opponent would be a terrible leader for all people since they clearly don't believe that all citizens are worthy of consideration. Political party faithful will claim that these statements may be hurtful, but they are truthful. The result of such language is that we become more divided as a nation. We fail to seek agreement and compromise. Instead with treat fellow Americans who vote differently than we do as "the enemy."
This blog post has gone long enough. In subsequent posts I will propose some ideas to end this damaging political polarization…. stay tuned.
About the Author
Jeff Schuster is an accomplished businessman, engineer, and writer. Three of Jeff's books are attempts at helping people understand and solve political problems that are being made worse by political partisanship. His first book, Trial & Error, is a collection of 14 short stories. ReEngineering Education is a story of innovative education reform in the midst of political corruption. Engineering Unity is Jeff's most recent book published in August 2023 addressing political polarization on wedge issues that politicians use to divide us. You are welcome to join our private Facebook group called Reengineering Politics where we discuss politically polarizing topics in a civil manner.
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