The Real Cause of our Country’s Polarization

The Real Cause of our Country’s Polarization

The main reason for our country’s divisions may not even be Trump’s controversial personality.  The underlying issue is the mindset of Trump’s opposition.  This hit me as I was talking to a very intelligent, educated and inveterate liberal friend.  Her reaction to any mention of Trump’s inauguration immediately elicited undisguised hatred.  This is the same reaction from other well educated and intelligent friends opposing Trump, male and female.  Hatred!  Sometimes hidden in cerebral verbiage, but unmistakably hatred.  What hit me is why this visceral negative reaction to an election loss?  And not only this one.  Anyone remember the liberals’ antics after the Bush elections?

The answer has to be in the intransigent liberal mindset.  Liberals are so sure that their views are best for everyone in the world, that they just cannot conceive anyone resisting or negating these views.  The country voting against their deeply held opinions of how a populace should be regulated (based on their didactic, politically correct principles) is anathema and absolutely unacceptable to them.  Otherwise why would these very intelligent people in most other ways balk at any attempt at applying logic to a political loss.  This attitude pervades the liberal community, and not only my smart friends.  It can be seen in the opinion pages of the New York Times and in other left leaning publications.  It can be seen in academia. It is obvious in the main stream media.  It is the virus that has divided the country.

After the Trump win in November the liberals’ tenacity regarding their views is almost messianic.  There is no convincing a liberal that there is another point of view.  Their way is the only way, and how dare these backwoods, flyover Americans deign to upset the Acela and West Coast hegemony?

Admittedly Trump’s outlandish declarations in the past have fueled his opponents more than usual this time around, but a review of the historical record shows the same type of reaction to the liberal’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.  Liberals simply cannot accept rejection of their world view, even by the democratic election process.  This year Trump is the focus and symbol for these dogmatic and unyielding views, and he has exacerbated the issue by being his own person.  He answers insult with insult in 140 characters and denigrates his opposition further. 

Trump’s new administration will not be in charge of a politically correct, apologetic and weak America.  Hopefully it will be strong, dynamic and robust, as he promised, and all Americans will benefit. 

Conservatives seem to be more pragmatic and sanguine about election results.  There was some opposition to Bill Clinton and Obama, and conservatives certainly did not like those administrations, but this opposition was muted and soon dissipated and the election results accepted.  Conservatives, for the most part, did not go into the inauguration carrying signs saying “Not my president” and try to disrupt the proceedings.  Conservatives lived with these presidents for sixteen years as loyal opposing citizens.

As I’ve said before, peaceful protests against political views are legal and are protected by the first amendment.  Rioting and violence, particularly fueled by operatives and agitators like Michael Moore or Al Sharpton and paid for by George Soros and other liberals with deep pockets are not.

As I’ve also said before, it’s time that the liberals rebuild their party and reconstitute their message to include all Americans, not just East and West Coast and DC elites.  The democrat party is fragmented, but they soon will have an ex-president who is still young, charismatic, eloquent and who embodies their world view.  Let’s hope he does not forget why his party lost this election and leads his party to embrace all Americans, not just the favored few.

Ray Gruszecki

January 19, 2017