Democrats vs Republicans: Roots of US political problem

Debbie Jacob

I GREW up in a family of Democrats and Republicans. My uncle, who worked at Westinghouse assembling washing machines, was a Democrat. My dad and both grandfathers who worked as a plasterer and factory worker were Republicans. I’m not sure of my grandmothers’ political affiliations, but my mom was an independent. I know she voted for Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and Democrat Barack Obama. I considered myself to be an independent, though I only crossed a party line once, to be a Reagan Democrat.

As a child, I witnessed my family having interesting political discussions about foreign and domestic policies, taxes and the national debt. The Republicans felt Democrats were fiscally irresponsible. My uncle supported the Democrats’ social programmes. Free choice reigned in my family. Discussions were civil – never heated – and everyone respected each other’s political choices.

My mom was the most interesting voter. Born in Romania, she had lived under a constitutional monarchy, and then as a displaced immigrant in Nazi Germany during World War II. More than anyone else, she judged a politician by his character as much as his policies, although she made a big mistake in the case of Nixon.

The point is, growing up, I viewed political parties as an essential way to maintain balance. We felt government needed liberal leanings and then conservative correction. We were most comfortable with the middle ground for both parties. No one wanted an extreme Republican or Democrat. We eagerly awaited election results and graciously accepted whenever our individual party of choice lost. There was no ridicule, personal attacks, bitterness or anger. The people had spoken.

We lamented, but reluctantly accepted that both political candidates made “election promises” they couldn’t possibly keep. We viewed them as impossible achievements rather than lies. We recalled Reagan’s campaign promise, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” We got them anyway.

I never envisioned anyone like Donald Trump could become president. Politics was not some absurd reality show. We’d never experienced a Trump level of pomposity. Nixon operated out of fear and insecurity – not megalomania.

We expected our presidents to be articulate and to safeguard democracy. Politics aside, from a linguistic standpoint, Trump doesn’t speak a single coherent sentence. Facts are a stranger to him. He defies the law, sews discord, incites hatred and promotes xenophobia, an unrealistic fear of strangers. For Trump, immigrants are dangerous.

Yes, border security is important, but there’s no way to justify Trump saying worldwide crime has decreased because all the criminals are storming across our borders.

There’s no statistic saying the majority of illegal immigrants are criminals. In truth, most illegal immigrants do jobs Americans don’t want. They pick apples and lettuce and work as domestic servants.

We need a better understanding of Trump’s supporters. He preys on their fears, and the biggest one in the US is the changing demographics, namely the shift from WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) as the majority to the minority.

It’s all outlined in Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority by Steve Phillips. Published in 2016, it became a bestseller and a beacon of hope as it outlined the multi-racial majority taking over the US. The New York Times described it as a “democratic revolution” that would make us more inclusive. It felt like a culmination of the civil rights movement, so no one noticed the undercurrents.

It’s easy to dismiss many of Trump’s supporters as petty bigots defined by racism and fear, but that’s not helpful. We need to analyse and address their problems – far-reaching, deep-seated fears that stem from losing their culture and their traditional blue-collar jobs as factory workers, coal miners, construction workers and manual labourers.

It’s not just a matter of being unable or unwilling to educate and reinvent themselves or blaming immigrants for taking their jobs. Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters cling to a culture that no longer exists. Their feelings and concerns got pushed aside. The liberal faction drove ultra-conservatives to silence and shame through criticism rather than understanding.

Trump empowered them and made it acceptable for them to speak their minds no matter how ugly, hateful and untrue many of their concerns were. Their feelings and prejudices were never addressed.

Our problem is more than an old, incoherent, self-serving, divisive Republican running for president. It’s a growing political divide caused by a communication problem between conservatives and liberals. It’s the new cancel-culture mentality. The tide turned when we all decided no one’s opinion was important but our own.

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