Why is partisanship such a major problem in the U.S.? Why do Americans feel they must subscribe to a party that holds some of their beliefs instead of merely subscribing to those beliefs? Why do Americans blindly follow what their party or influential members therein tell them to do despite the fact this may not be in their best interest or in the nation’s best interest?
I am not against partisanship as an institution. I believe that partisanship is beneficial and perhaps necessary as long as it is in moderation. Partisanship can give a likeminded group a sense of community and influence as well as provide the foundation for the conflict that fuels and regulates our political system. However, in recent years political parties have been corrupted, becoming instead vehicles which allow manipulative demagogues to satiate their lust for power, recognition and wealth. Parties have become breeding grounds of indoctrination, hate, ignorance and blind obedience. A political party should be an opportunity to express and empower your own personal political views. A political party should not tell you which views are correct and which are incorrect, or tell you that you are not a true Democrat/Republican unless you believe this. I am the only one who can decide what is good or bad, right or wrong, beneficial or detrimental, and it should be my right as an American to be able to develop and express these views without the constraints of an oppressive partisan system.
Parties in themselves are not bad or evil. But when the wellbeing of a party or its leaders begins to take precedence over the wellbeing of the nation and all its people, parties become dangerous, destructive entities. Take for instance the response of some conservative Republicans to Chicago losing its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, despite a personal appeal from President Obama himself. It has been reported that some Republicans actually rejoiced upon hearing of Chicago’s and, ultimately, America’s defeat because Chicago’s plea had become associated with Obama, and because Chicago lost, in a way Obama lost. In Fact, some Republican-controlled newspapers printed headlines like “Obama Loses!” and “World Rejects Obama.” This is a clear example of putting partisan malice ahead of the nation’s wellbeing. It is small instances like this coupled with larger examples such as the incredibly partisan fight over health care that are revealing America to be a divided, disjointed and dysfunctional nation that cannot be whole or prosperous until this partisan extremism comes to an end.
