I've been thinking about this thread for a few days now, analyzing it, considering and reconsidering. What is it we're talking about that some are perceiving as wrong here? Is it the maligning of people in the public sphere? Is that it?
Mike Huckabee, super Christian recently tweeted
this. There's another thread on the board here where someone asks about the incredible vitriol given Obama by Conservatives. There's FOX news. There's political AM radio. There's the protestant, evangelical religious right, from mega-churches to little Pentecostal sects all over the country. There's plenty of more examples on a website like
http://www.religiousrightwatch.com/ and many, many other examples one can find quite easily. These are not mere political spin where one tries to stretch the truth, view supported policies in the most positive light possible, and cast your political opponent as supporting the wrong path for America. This is character assassination. It's actual real dangerous propaganda. It's outright lies made up out of whole cloth. It's overt fear mongering and playing to bigotry and prejudice, not just with dog whistles, but a megaphone. Folks, I got to tell ya, this is some scary shit, and it's
working. Look where we as a country are at right now? The Conservatives as a movement is a Trump party now. Their identity politics has advanced to a point where their policy decisions are really only based on one over arching principle: what will upset liberals. Not only does this movement occupy all the federal levers of power, but most state legislatures as well, and many of those are even more polarized than the national political spectrum.
In a way, this reminds me of the concept of pacifism. Never use violence. Ever. Do not give in on your own principles. It sounds good. It sounds noble. It sounds
right. It also doesn't work in the real world. It also reminds me of the evolution vs. creationism debate. One side has facts and nuance on their side, and it's the side that is correct. But it requires a deeper understanding. It requires effort, and it's not intuitive to most people. The other side is bumper sticker-type slogans, easy, direct, and
aligns with human prejudices quite well. Quicker, easier, more seductive (sorry, I couldn't resist a nerd moment).
I'm not saying we should adopt those techniques. Those techniques indeed lead down the dark path, because Conservatives had to manipulate and groom their constituents for quite some time before Trump came along and used those very same techniques to paralyze the GOP and bend it to his will. There is a difference between the two though. One is dishonest. It lies about the motivations and character of their opponents simply for being opponents, the other is using public shame, not shaming them for being conservative, shaming them for the policies they have enacted that are indeed worthy of that very shame. It's not McCain that cannot eat in a restaurant because of liberals, but he is being attacked by his own party in a shameful manner. It's not never Trumpers. It's not Jeff Flake. It's Trump administration members that share some responsibility for some awful bigoted policies being instituted by our government. It's not for being Conservative, it's for being bigoted. They are overtly harming people that are very vulnerable in our society. Homosexuals, transsexuals, refugees, children.
The reason for the polarization isn't shared equally by both sides. Sure, there are some factors that contribute to the vitriol on both sides, but both parties had more of a shared set of beliefs and a foundation that encouraged bipartisanship. They disagreed on the path to take for the country, but both had at least a shared type of vision of what they wanted for our nation. Now, one of those parties has been all but replaced by religious white nationalists that want exceptional special treatment for Christians and for people that are white. The fear has been stoked for so long by Conservatives about being replaced and losing their special place in our society that now, that is all the core of the party will respond to. Combine this with a lack motivation to vote by most people, and this vocal minority is now all but running the country even though they are outnumbered. Getting them out will be tough, because they've cemented their place with gerrymandering, and causing fundamental change within one of the parties to overcome their own bigotry will not be easy.
