Congress has a serious problem and that problem is the inability to accomplish America first goals. All of the infighting and political bullying have brought efficiency down and progress to a halt. Enough with the political polarization and constant lying to the American people. Excusing failure as a result of political ‘opposition’ is irresponsible and unbecoming of Congress. Both major political parties have been in the majority in recent years and yet there have been limited or no positive results. It is time for a change!
Political polarization is a problem, but not in the way people might imagine it to be. Those in elected office that have corrupt intentions and greedy aspirations for power need a way to keep the American people out of the way. One means that is incredibly successful are political polarization tactics. Loosely defined, political polarization is broken into three main categories; ideological, affective, and elite polarization. Ideological polarization is the difference between platforms. For example, the Republican party broadly supports secure borders, no men in women’s sports, pro-life, rule of law, and other traditional conservative positions. In contra, the Democrat party generally aligns with a more progressive, socialistic position on these issues. The second type of political polarization, affective polarization, is the natural progression of ideological polarization. Affective polarization often manifests as a distrust or dislike of those who hold certain political ideologies. Oftentimes affective polarization tends to prevent rational discussion and severely hamper positive action. Individuals start to think of those with different views as ‘existential threats,’ ‘dangerous,’ ‘radical,’ and many other names have been used. Affective polarization has been influenced and spread by those in political positions to keep people cooperative, supportive, and complacent. The pretense of an internal Congressional war is used to keep “We the People” voting for many of the same failed political figures every election cycle, because they “are the only ones who can be the opposition.” There are differences in Congress and some of these differences are unreconcilable, but ultimately politicians use this tactic as a means to trap Americans in a circular pattern, while most of the elected officials in Congress accomplish little for Americans. This cycle is elite polarization or the culmination of political polarization. It combines ideological and affective polarization to create deep division. It is the “us” vs. “them” mentality that Congressional members abuse to stay in elected office despite their numerous failures.
One of the core political polarization strategies is to tell people that they must fully support a political party and accept the ideological values that political party’s leadership endorses no matter the moral or reasonable questions against such views. And this is not limited to any particular political party; both are guilty of this misstep. Discussion in governance is a crucial part of achieving the best possible outcome, but discussion is totally different than political bullying or holding out on positive legislation. The American people share a critical common goal and that is our role to discern who is striving towards excellence and who is falling short of the mark in elected office. With “We the People” rests the burden of deciding who is worthy of elected office.
Another lie of political polarization is that all statements that the supposed “opposition” makes regarding a situation are aggressive and stir up rhetoric. This tactic is primarily employed by the Democratic party, however, there are those on the Republican side that indulge in this error. This political framing and narrative are specifically designed to divide people. In reality most Americans agree on the core goals for the nation, and that many Congressional officials’ actions deem them unfit for office. But Congressional officials utilize political polarization to convince people that our only hope is to keep them in office or we will lose control. The truth is we have turned over control to Congress and abdicated our duty to hold Congressional members responsible for their actions. When America needs it the most, the American people stand together against all foes. It’s time to mobilize the strength of united American people and stand with a firm resolve to hold federal elected officials accountable for their failures. It’s time to stop listening to the lies of political polarization and renew the American patriot spirit.
