Differences about policy, mission, core ideals, they’re as old political parties themselves. There’s a reason our parents and their parents avoided bringing up politics at social gatherings for fear of a discussion turning into an argument, possibly becoming uncivil.
Of course, there’s uncivil and then there’s where we are today.
We’ve been building toward this era in American politics and culture through the Clinton, Bush and Obama presidencies, discourse devolving and partisanship increasing, a flashpoint away from out-and-out vilification of the other side.
Donald Trump’s election was that flashpoint.
The phrase, “I guess I really don’t have an opinion about Trump,” has never been uttered. No one is neutral. The 40% in his camp truly would support him if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue. The rest would still hate him if he negotiated peace in the Middle East.
Democrats went on impeachment alert before he even took office. They despise everything about him. They believe Republicans never gave Obama a chance, and they doubled down. They’ve abandoned their policy-making responsibilities, obsessed with getting Trump out of office.
Meanwhile, the Republicans figured out quickly they couldn’t defend most of what Trump says and does. So they went into “what about” mode, parroting Fox News talking points by invoking Obama and/or the Clintons at every opportunity while blaming any Trump misstep or lie on “fake news.”
The success or failure of Trump’s policies will be better judged in the future, but his effect on America can be judged now. He has made us worse. His elementary-school insults and name-calling lower the office and bring out the worst in his followers and detractors.
I don’t have to turn on the television or read a dissertation about how ugly things are. I don’t even have to leave my office. I see it every week in the letters to the editor we receive and the comments on stories.
One letter-writer this week called Republicans, “Freaks, weirdos, the angry, the maladjusted who just aren’t ignorant but who value ignorance.” For balance, here’s an excerpt from one we couldn’t run because it couldn’t get through a sentence without an expletive, about how he and his friends will be contributing millions to Trump, “against all the ignorant, pathetic, total socialist, liberal, ‘SWAMP RAT’, disgusting, DemocRATic, morons.”
Of course, those are tame compared to social media. You should have to click a button affirming you are over 18 to view the Facebook comments on some of our stories and columns.
It all has me pretty down about where we are as a society. So I’ll take something positive wherever I can find it.
We were writing a story this week about 30 or so Carroll countians who took a bus to Hershey, Pennsylvania for a Trump rally. Here’s what one of the organizers of the bus trip, Bob Leatherwood, said about it: "It was fun. People were laughing. Many had never met each other, but we had a good time getting people together and realizing [politics] doesn’t have to be life or death.”
I wasn’t embedded on the bus, can’t vouch for it and have to assume there were some serious shots fired at their political rivals. But at least I hope that’s the way it went.
I would love for both sides to be energized about their own candidates and policies rather than just criticizing and ridiculing the other side. I’m not an old guy pining for the good old days ― I’m getting old, but I fully recognize the good old days weren’t all that good for many — but I do believe there was a time when we could disagree without hating each other.
I’d like to organize my own bus trip consisting of 30 Carroll countians — with 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans and 10 independents or affiliates of other parties — and drive around for a few hours just to see what would happen.
I’d like to think that by the time we reached our destination most would’ve found a lot of common ground, realized they largely want the same things for themselves, their kids and their friends and neighbors, and be exchanging phone numbers and email addresses with promises of future get-togethers.
But I’d be afraid we’d have to make a pit stop at an Urgent Care for the treatment of injuries.
Bob Blubaugh is the editor of the Carroll County Times. His column appears Sundays. Email him at bob.blubaugh@carrollcountytimes.com.