THE POLITICAL DIVIDE
R. A. Schultz
“The research, conducted by Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, is among the first to measure polarization not only by examining the frequency of parties working together, but also by demonstrating how they’ve grown more distant than any other time in modern history (Emphasis mine).”
Neal examines this phenomenon from the early 1960’s to today, observing that the current rift commenced around 1980, which coincides with the rise of Reagan and the specter of a new conservative populism, hence, my emphasis on “modern,” above. The War of the Northern Aggression, more commonly known under the misnomer perpetuated in today’s “history” texts as the American Civil War, with a total of some 600,000 dead, was most certainly clear evidence of a far deeper political divide than that characterized by the current verbal political sniping and the occasional street clashes between Antifa thugs and the American citizenry.
Yet today we see the gap widening, and doing so rapidly. I have observed that we are currently in the throes of a “cold civil war,” but one that is rapidly warming. The results of the upcoming mid-term election, and the reaction thereto by the opposing sides, will be telling. The rabid leftward plunge of what was left of the once proud Democrat Party and the reaction thereto by Middle America will be even more so.
May G-d help us!
