Division, it is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, “the act or process of dividing: the state of being divided, or one of the parts or groupings into which a whole is divided or is divisible, and the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest (Definition of Division, 2023).” However, in politics it has gone far beyond that of the state being divided. It is the act of defamation of all who get in the way of a someone who does not agree with them.
This is nothing new, two of the “pioneers” of political defamation in the US were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. President Adams was accused by Jefferson’s camp of possessing a terrible hermaphrodite personality that lacks both the gentleness and sensibility of a woman and the vigor and toughness of a man. In retaliation, Adams’ men denounced Vice President Jefferson as a low-life, cruel man who was descended from a Virginia mulatto father and half-Indian squaw (Sakaris, 2011). There are many more examples, all you have to do is search the internet or, heaven forbid, open a history book and you can learn about the “Blood Sport” of politics. The question I have is why are we busy tearing each other down when we should be working together and building each other up while working for the people who elected us to get the job of ‘fixing things” done?
We (those involved in politics) seem to be more interested in the tag line of articles in newspapers of our local towns, or our favorite internet media page pushing our opinion and accusations to truly understand that we all are less of the solution and more a part of the problem. We think if we attack our opposition, we can move our agenda forward quicker, and what better way to get into the people’s eyes and ears than through the partisan media. The problem is we are so busy slandering that the problems we were elected to fix are being pushed to the backburner and once again the people lose.
People no longer trust the government. According to a pew research poll from September of this year, after a little increase in 2020 and 2021, public trust in the federal government—which has been low for decades—has dropped back to almost historic levels. Less than two out of ten Americans currently believe that the government in Washington will act morally “just about always” (1%), or “most of the time” (15%). Throughout almost seven decades of polling, this is one of the least trustworthy metrics. Twenty percent said they trusted the government most of the time or almost often last year (Bell, 2023).
Why should we expect them to trust us? We are too busy fighting amongst ourselves when we should be busy fighting FOR the people. Ladies and gentlemen, the cold hard truth is this. We all have ideas on how to better this country. We all have agendas we want to succeed. However, if we don’t stop these schoolyard bully tactics and come together the Republican Party will not last. The far left will achieve their goal of a new world order and our Republic as we know it will no longer exist. So, my challenge to you is this. Stop the division, stop the slander campaigns, stop the anger and hatred and let’s come together as the freedom loving conservatives we all say we are. We all can agree that we love this country, and as we are taught in scripture, “beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity (NASB, 2021, Colossians 3:14).”
References
Bell, P. (2023, September 19). Public Trust in Government: 1958-2023 | Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center – U.S. Politics & Policy. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/public-trust-in-government-1958-2023/
Definition of division. (2023, October 21). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/division
New American Standard Version, 2021, Holman Bible Publishers
Sakaris. (2011, December 17). Political Slander is Nothing New. Psychology Today. Retrieved October 31, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201112/political-slander-is-nothing-new
Jason Pierce, Devils Lake, ND, Chairman, District 15 GOP
Verified 11/29/23 – LAO
