The Total Polarization of the Government
By Todd Strandberg
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party — together have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and controlled the United States Congress since 1856. Since most political issues are two-sided, one party is generally for something and the other opposes it.
A few decades ago, Democrats and Republicans worked together on many issues. On July 30, 2014, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4810, known as the Veterans Access to Care Act of 2014. The bill, co-sponsored by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Arizona Senator John McCain, passed the House on a vote of 420-5. When the United States declared war on Japan, only one person voted against it.
Today it has become common to have votes that completely follow along party lines. The House recently passed a resolution that directs the House Homeland Security and House Judiciary panels to examine any evidence of wrongdoing related to the president’s immigration policies. It was approved because 219 Republicans outvoted 208 Democrats.
During the Trump years, the Democrats had control of the House, and they did several things that were politically motivated. Now that the Republicans have a majority, they clearly plan to perform similar stunts.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a censure vote against California Rep Adam Schiff, which was a rebuke of a vocal Trump critic by the House Republican majority. Years ago, it would be a significant rebuke of a member of Congress. Today it is seen as a badge of honor.
As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) tried to read out the resolution, House Democrats, gathered on the floor in solidarity with Schiff, repeatedly shouted him down.
They chanted “shame!” and cheered Schiff, jeering at McCarthy as a “spiteful coward” and “weak.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called for him to be ousted. One Republican shouted back, “Jack***es!”
The House of Representatives approved a resolution referring articles of impeachment against President Biden to two committees. The resolution directs the House Homeland Security and House Judiciary panels to examine any evidence of wrongdoing related to the president’s immigration policies. It was approved 219-208 along party lines.
There is zero chance of getting enough votes to convict Biden in the Senate. I don’t see any indication that Republicans share the fondness for political theater that the left enjoys.
I think the best idea in Republican circles is a vote to dissolve Trump’s previous two impeachments. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he supports the idea of expunging the impeachments of Donald Trump as Republican allies of the former president introduce a pair of proposals to declare it as though the historic charges never happened.
McCarthy told reporters that he agrees with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elise Stefanik, who want to erase the charges against Trump from the former president’s impeachments of 2019 and 2021.
“I think it is appropriate,” said McCarthy, the Republican from California. “Just as I thought before — that you should expunge it because it never should have gone through.”
The political divide can really be seen in the Supreme Court. Justices are there to simply vote if something is constitutional or not. The change in the political environment has caused the conservative court to strike down a series of rulings that liberals hold dear.
I like the recent rulings, but I think there is a great danger to the nation in the long run. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a Supreme Court candidate, everyone knew she had a leftist background. The vote to make her an Associate Justice was 96-3 because there was still a vestige of civility in the Senate.
Even during the Clarence Thomas fiasco, he still managed to have 11 Democrats vote for him. When Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 2020, it quickly became apparent that she was an excellent Justice. The vote was straight down party lines.
My biggest fear is what will happen when the Democrats gain full control of the government. It was as recent as 2016 that they had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. If this was today, the Democrats would pack the Supreme Court, suspend all voting rules in the Senate, and they would remove Republican members by vote.
If people love power more than truth and our nation, tyranny will eventually prevail. We could have a dictator come from both parties because most despots come to power under the promise of saving the country from the opposition.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV).
–Todd