The real climate change disaster that is endangering lives…

…is the change in the political climate

Those on the left have taken up climate change as the greatest existential threat of our time. Despite the fact that science stands in opposition, politicians are poised to use all their power battling this bogus boogeyman. All the while, the policies they push in this Quixotic pursuits pour fuel on the fire of the growing divide between the American people. Taking a look at the past four decades uncovers a rapid deterioration of the cordiality we enjoyed even through the toughest of times.

Hands across America

The 1980s could possibly, in hindsight, be seen as the pinnacle of American unity (at least for modern America), a time when people of varied beliefs and backgrounds seemed to get along just fine. Sure there were disagreements, and even some tussles (especially among children), but we managed to work out our differences and remain friends. People, at least to me, weren’t classified by their skin color, their genetics, their lineage - they were people, Americans, nothing more, and nothing less. People with opposing political viewpoints might discuss them, even argue about them, but then go grab a beer or share a meal. There was mutual respect and amicus.

As we entered the 1990s, under the Clinton presidency, I noticed the rise of hyphenated Americans: African-American, Latino-American, Mexican-American, Italian-American, etc. I know the use of some of these date back further than the 1990s, but they were not truly common vernacular prior. People were no longer expected to see each other simply as “Americans” - that would be too unifying. No, people were to recognize from whence others descended - this became important, though we we were taught otherwise in the past. Suddenly, epidermal hue mattered. As well, politics were becoming more inflammatory as elected officials sought to exercise more control. This was, perhaps, the first spark that would eventually grow into a raging bonfire.

Move into 2000, and first, we have a hotly debated election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. People argued so vigorously over paper ballots and having left me hanging (go ahead - sue me for bad puns) that many recounts ensued as well as court cases. After Bush was declared the winner, Democrats went on a rant declaring him and the election illegitimate. Yes, it is true - despite their quite vocal protests over the right’s response to 2020, they too have called into question the results of presidential races. At this, the division grew stronger. The attack on the twin towers brought people together in a unity that had not been seen for quite some time; then that unity was quickly shattered with the war launched against the middle east. Cohesiveness was crumbling, smoke began emanating from the pyre.

2008 brought hope and change - change of a fundamental nature. President Obama, after whose election his wife stated she was proud of America for the first time in her life, furthered the fracture. Instead of acting as a stabilizing force, his own racism stoked more around the country. He was smooth in his approach, which is why so many appear not to have noticed, but so many instances revealed what lie under that conciliatory veneer. Rather than look at the facts in Ferguson, he launched an investigation into the supposed systemic racism allegedly rampant within the Ferguson police force. In a way, President Obama could be credited with the formation of BLM. Every additional opportunity that this particular politician was afforded to create peace was met with divisiveness. I don’t think in my life there has been another president who was so significantly splintering. Racism, which had seemed largely a word of the past, made a major comeback. Small flames began licking at the logs of liberty.

The presidential election of 2016 drove the wedge deeper. The choice between a career criminal and a blowhard businessman spread the schism. Politics became a battle between statism and liberty, between foreign dependence and domestic strength. American exceptionalism won the day, but a current of disgruntlement grew not only beneath the surface of public opinion, but even more overtly with politicians. A multitude on the left decried the illegitimacy of the election, and even attempted, unsuccessfully, to remove the duly-elected president based on fabricated fables.  Not only did BLM rise to the forefront in the news, but a new group aimed at battling back President Trumps fascism formed - Antifa. Antifa and BLM riots were responsible for billions of dollars in damage to cities, businesses, and for multitude injuries and deaths, though they faced little if any consequences. Politicians on the left even went so far as to donate to bailing them out of jail, if they were arrested. This allowed them routinely to appear at political rallies and incite violence. Political differences bred cruel conflict, and incongruent ideologies drew criticism and calls for cancellation. The flickering flames left in Obamas wake were burning into a bold blaze.

2020 may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. In a hotly contested election, Joe Biden, a man who struggled to draw a crowd of a hundred or more to any campaign event, managed to draw more votes than the incredibly popular, first ever black (mixed) president, defeating the incumbent who easily attracted tens of thousands to any scheduled stump. Cries of “foul” from the right were met with derision from the left, calling any questioning of the legitimacy of the election the big lie™, and accusing any unbelievers of being election-deniers. Those who believe that American politicians should put America first (can you imagine the audacity?) are accused of hatred, of being dangerous extremists, of being a threat to our democracy™. No longer can Americans partake of polite political persiflage. Denizens of different disposition defined one another. It is a sad reality. Yet politicians continue to deepen the divide. When a president in a speech calls half of the voters in the country dangerous extremists who are a threat to our democracy™, is it any wonder that a man would believe he is doing the country a service by running down a traditionalist teen with his truck? It seems that politicians, rather than seeking healing, desire to deepen the divide. Their words have fanned the flames into a raging inferno, and no one seems to own a fire extinguisher.

Politicians must stop the rancorous rhetoric, both aimed at one another, and aimed at riling the rabble. We must also take responsibility for ourselves. We must not allow ourselves to be purposed as political pawns; we must persist against the prodding to hate thy neighbor. The strategy of divide and conquer was never meant for the apparatchiks in our government to use against the people. Yet here we are, and the American way, the American dream, the American republic is truly threatened. We must regain our ability to engage in decent dialog and even rigorous debate without retreating to resentment. We must combat this cataclysmic political climate change before it destroys us all.