Have you noticed the political landscape in the United States over the last few years? It’s like looking into a deep, dark abyss of partisan fury that seems to just keep growing! In a recent interview, former Secretary of Defense under former President Barack Obama, Robert Gates, said that this extreme political polarization in the U.S. is the greatest threat the country faces.
Gates made these remarks in an interview for CBS’s Face the Nation with host Margaret Brennan where the two discussed the debt ceiling and the struggle in Washington D.C. for leaders on both sides of the aisle to work together to resolve issues. Gates believes that the atmosphere has become so extreme that someone who disagrees with you is seen not just as someone to disagree with but now seen as an enemy, “a bad person.”
This isn’t just a symptom of the Republican versus Democrat divide, it’s the tone that’s been set by our leaders. Instead of hearing mature and respectable conversations, Democrats and Republicans are all too often throwing extremist rhetoric in each other’s faces. As Gates said, “there’s a lack of civility,” and it’s having a ripple effect and becoming the standard for how we argue.
We can’t deny the fact that there are ideological differences among us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t interact in a civil and respectful way. We also can’t ignore the underlying issues that often surround these clashes. President Biden recently revealed his agenda to pursue an anti-American Globalism mission by being a world leader in combating ‘climate change.’
It’s clear that the Democratic party is taking a hard stance on America’s involvement in global Inter governmental organizations, but not everyone is on board and understandably feel uncomfortable about it. Can you really blame those who are trying to protect the country from being dependent on foreign organizations when it’s happening during a time of great uncertainty?
It’s going to take a lot of work and compromise from both sides for us to get back on track and Gates thinks we need to start being better examples for each other. We need to resist the urge to demonize those who disagree with us and instead focus on finding solutions in our conversations that bridge the gap between the two sides.
"Polarization in the country," is the biggest threat to the U.S. right now, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells @margbrennan. Gates points to "a measure of paralysis, as indicated by the debt ceiling" and "a level of meanness" and "lack of civility" among politicians. pic.twitter.com/l2tyV69aSB
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 21, 2023
Hyperpolarization has only gotten worse over the years. That’s just an undeniable fact. It’s no coincidence that the division in America only continues to grow. Even if the media wasn’t a driving component, we currently have a president who has made it his personal mission to demonize nearly half of the nation for not supporting him.
